The Union Budget 2026-27 has chalked out a fiscal strategy to give push to Odisha’s eco-tourism, mining, and research besides development of waterways for environmentally sustainable cargo movement.
Union Minister for Finance Nirmala Sitharaman, tabling the Union Budget 2026-27 in Parliament on Sunday, announced that ecologically sustainable turtle trails will be developed along key nesting sites in the coastal areas of Odisha, Karnataka and Kerala.
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The development of nesting sites of Olive Ridley sea turtles, who turn in millions for mass nesting every year, is poised to give a major facelift to the eco-tourism sector at the picturesque nesting beaches.
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The Gahirmatha rookery in the Kendrapara district is widely acclaimed as the world’s largest nesting beach of olive turtles. The Olive turtles turn up in millions for mass nesting along the Odisha coast every year anytime between February to March. Apart from Gahirmatha, these threatened aquatic animals turn up at Rushikulya river mouth and Devi river mouth for mass nesting. An Olive Ridley usually lays about 120 to 150 eggs from which hatchlings emerge after about 45 to 50 days.
The Centre’s move support the four mineral-rich States of Odisha including Odisha by proposing to establish dedicated Rare Earth Corridors will go a long way to promote mining, processing, research and manufacturing.
Finance Minister Sitharaman made an announcement in this regard in the budget speech. She said, “A Scheme for Rare Earth Permanent Magnets was launched in November 2025. We now propose to support the mineral-rich States of Odisha, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu to establish dedicated Rare Earth Corridors to promote mining, processing, research, and manufacturing.”
To enhance domestic chemical production and reduce import-dependency, the government will launch a scheme to support states in establishing three dedicated Chemical Parks, through a challenge route, on a cluster-based plug-and-play model.
To support this expansion, training institutes will be upgraded into Regional Centres of Excellence to build skilled manpower for inland water transport. The initiative is expected to generate new employment opportunities and skill development for youth along the corridor, aligning with the broader goal of promoting sustainable cargo movement. These steps will benefit the State in honing youths’ skill for employability and domestic chemical production.
To promote environmentally sustainable movement of cargo, the Finance Minister proposed to operationalise 20 new National Waterways (NW) over next 5 years, starting with NW-5 in Odisha to connect mineral rich areas of Talcher and Angul and industrial centres like Kalinga Nagar to the Ports of Paradeep and Dhamra.
Training Institutes will be set up as Regional Centres of Excellence for development of the required manpower. This will benefit youth in the entire stretch of the waterways to train and acquire skills.
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