STATE TIMES NEWS
SRINAGAR: The BJP in Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday termed the interim Budget presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman as “people-friendly”, while opposition National Conference claimed it had nothing for the people and was “disappointing”.
“I think this is a very good budget and it will help speed up the development of Kashmir,” BJP’s J-K spokesperson Altaf Thakur told PTI here.
“This is a people-friendly budget. The backbone of Kashmir is the tourism industry and the announcement for interest-free loan in the Budget will bring a new revolution in Kashmir’s economy. This provision will take Kashmir’s tourism industry further ahead,” Thakur said.
He also lauded the provisions in the Budget to empower Anganwari and ASHA workers and hailed the announcements made for youth welfare and employment.
Chasfeeda, a woman entrepreneur, welcomed the finance minister’s women-centric announcements in the Budget and appealed the women to grab the opportunities.
“…The government is doing a lot for women. I think every woman should come forward and take benefit of the opportunity to become independent,” Chasfeeda said.
The Women and Child Development Ministry has been allocated Rs 26,000 crore in 2024-25, an increase of 2.52 per cent from the previous budget.
The Saksham Anganwadi and POSHAN 2.0 (Umbrella ICDS – Anganwadi Services, Poshan Abhiyan, Scheme for Adolescent Girls) saw the highest allocation of funds at Rs 21,200 crore, followed by the Mission Shakti (Mission for Protection and Empowerment for Women) which has been given Rs 3145.97 crore.