STATE TIMES NEWS
JAMMU: Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal on Saturday said a strong foundation has been laid in the Union Budget to achieve the goal of ‘Viksit Bharat-2047’ but the opposition was trying to create a “false narrative” to mislead people.
He claimed the opposition parties’ “Constitution in danger” propaganda fell flat during the recent Lok Sabha polls and the same thing will happen this time too.
Hitting back at the opposition, the Union minister of law and justice said, “A strong foundation has been laid in the Union Budget for ‘Viksit Bharat-2047’.”
“Since the names of Bihar and Andhra Pradesh were mentioned (in the Budget), they are trying to create a false narrative. I come from Rajasthan and its name was not mentioned in the Budget. Does that mean that the state will not get money? When roads are expanded, wouldn’t it be done in Rajasthan too?” Meghwal told reporters at the BJP headquarters here.
Opposition parties are deliberately raking up such issues to mislead people, he said at a press conference, also attended by Jammu and Kashmir BJP chief Ravinder Raina, MP Jugal Kishore and Sunil Sethi, Chief Spokesperson.
“They tried such a thing during Lok Sabha elections by claiming that the Constitution is in danger. But the propaganda fell flat as people… their false narrative about the Budget will also not succeed,” he said.
Asked about the spike in terror activities in the Union Territory, especially in the Jammu region, Meghwal said peace is a pre-requisite for development and investment anywhere in the world.
“If there is no law and order problem, investment flows freely. We are working on a strategy to ensure that terrorism is effectively dealt with and peace is maintained in the Jammu region,” the Union minister said.
He said the Central government is working on a strategy to eliminate terror and maintain peace in the Jammu region as peace is imperative for development and investment.
Meghwal said the Union Budget will give a major boost to Jammu and Kashmir with a focus on infrastructure projects such as roads and railways, besides strengthening the security outlay.
Asked about West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee walking out of the NITI Aayog meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he said the meeting was convened to discuss and deliberate on the country’s development.
“The state governments should extend their full support… this type of politics should not happen,” Meghwal added.
Meghwal said that infrastructure projects are in progress everywhere in Jammu and funds have been granted to maintain this continuity in infrastructure development like railways, all-weather roads, highways, MDF etc.
“We have also laid the outlay to strengthen the security. The limit of Mudra loans to promote MSME has been increased from 10 to 20 lakh. A cluster for vegetable farming with emphsis laid on medicinal plants will be promoted, handloom, handcrafts will be promoted. Natural farming has a lot of scope in Jammu, it will be harnessed”, said Meghwal.
“We have entered the era of 4.0 in the industries, so in this budget innovation, research and development and ITI structure will be strengthened. Budget has all the provisions to strengthen Jammu & Kashmir,” said Minister. In this Budget, Govt has focused on employment, skilling, MSMEs, and the middle class, the Minister said and also spoke on the benefits of GST while answering a query.
The Union Minister also stressed that this Budget has all the essential components to ensure the economic strengthening of the region and the local people while emphasizing the perfect ingredients of various investments for the growth of the region.
Later, the Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal accompanied by President Ravinder Raina, MP Jugal Kishore Sharma, and All Cell Incharge Rakesh Mahajan addressed a ‘Budget Pe Charcha’ programme organized by J&K BJP at the party headquarters. Hundreds of prominent persons belonging to business, industries, trade, lawyers, doctors, and other classes actively participated in the two-way communication with the Minister on the Budget. During the interactive session, the Minister first elaborated on the Budget and then answered the queries put forth by the delegates. He also noted down all the suggestions brought up in the interaction.