Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, May 30: CPI (M) and Jammu West Assembly Movement have termed the State budget as directionless and mere figure work as presented by the Finance Minister Dr Haseeb Drabu in the State Legislature in Srinagar today.
Senior CPI (M) leader and MLA, Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami has said the Budget presented by the Finance Minister is a reflection of mere figures being devoid of any substantive relief for the common man. Besides, it totally lacks concrete framework for revival of State’s economy.
“The State budget is a routine exercise of rhetoric. It has nothing significant to offer and instead has generated disappointment for financially vulnerable sections of the society. Despite the demand for adequate funding for relief and rehabilitation of flood victims, no funds have been proposed, which is very unfortunate,” he opined.
Although a separate power budget has also been presented but it also appears to be a mere figure work and no future policy to augment the generation, transmission and distribution and improving the defunct networking is seen in the same.
The core sectors like agriculture, horticulture and livestock in terms of allocations have totally been neglected, though the fact remains that our State is an agriculture one and major chunk of population is dependent on these sectors.
The unemployment problem has been left unattended in the document, indicating lack of any roadmap to tackle this issue. Harnessing of human resources and capacity building under skill development has also been ignored and even implementation of 7th Pay Commission has been negated by the Finance Minister, which is very discouraging.
For revival of the industrial sector, the budget does not carry any vision, thereby disappointing the young and energetic skillful entrepreneurs. Not to talk of regularization of over 60,000 youth engaged under various categories, no time frame or policy has been envisaged in the budget for providing them wages regularly. Increase in honorarium of scheme workers including Anganwari Workers/Helpers, ASHAs and Mid-Day Meal Workers has totally been kept out of the purview of the budget. No enhancement has been proposed in the pension for the destitute like old aged, widows, handicapped, orphans and poor students.
Jammu West Assembly Movement leader Sunil Dimple while reacting over the State budget has alleged that Dr Haseeb Drabu has disappointed the people of the State. He said the people of the State, unemployed youths and employees are dissatisfied with the State Budget while it is directionless. Dr Drabu has totally failed to come up to the expectations of the people of the State.
He pointed out that Tourism sector of Jammu has also been ignored. There is no mention of funds for Gandola project from Mubarak Mandi to Bagh-e-Bahu and other important beautification projects of Jammu as trade of the businessmen has been badly affected after direct train services started for Katra. Even the transporters have been badly hit with it. He said in the budget there is no provision for the funds for the regularization of the daily wagers of all the departments, construction of flyovers at Rehari Chungi, Jewel Chowk and Canal Road and in nut shell the people are feeling cheated.
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