JAMMU: Describing the State Budget tabled for the year 2016-17 by the Finance Minister as a damp squib, Panthers Party activists held a massive demonstration against the Budget proposals, here on Wednesday.
Led by Harsh Dev Singh Chairman JKNPP, Balwant Singh Mankotia State President and Yashpal Kundal State President Young Panthers a large number of panthers activists assembled at Exhibition Ground, here and raised anti-government slogans.
Speaking on the occasion, Harsh said that the current Rs. 64,669 crore budget announced by the Finance Minister Haseeb Drabu had stored nothing for a common man which only appeared to be a jugglery of words and figures amid high expectations from all the quarters.
Recalling the contours of the budget, he said that the budgetary announcement to hike the tax rate from 13.5 per cent to 14.5 per cent on the essential commodities under VAT regime had only made a common man a worst sufferer with the soaring price rise of goods.
He pointed out that the interests of the farmers and the youth were out rightly ignored from the scope of the budget. He maintained that the State budget had failed to keep provision for the adequate compensation to the farmer community of Jammu whose crops, live stock and land were washed away during the catastrophic floods of September 2014.
Singh flayed the budget for not incorporating substantial employment package for the youth who had been languishing and protesting in the open for their genuine demands.
Terming the budget as the statement of fudged figures, Harsh lambasted the budgetary provision to hike the toll tax between 8 to 15 per cent. He said that the general public at large was already burdened by the toll tax and the further increase would only aggravate the situation. He sought immediate revocation of the aforesaid tax in the interest of sustainable tourism in the region so that the general commuters, tourists and pilgrims visiting the State were kept out from the scope of the tax. He said that such taxes should be exempted in the militancy infested State for fostering the growth in tourism and allied sectors.
He disclosed that the aviation turbine fuel levy which had been hiked from 20 per cent to 25 per cent would only make the air travel costlier and add to the burden on the frequent flyers within the State.
He further deplored that no policy for their regularization had been announced by the govt. despite its assurances. He castigated BJP for its failure to revoke services tax on Helicopter Services to Mata Vaishno Devi.