STATE TIMES NEWS
JAMMU: Dr Manohhar Lal Sharma former MoS Finance and Planning, and PCC General Secretary while commenting on budget said that BJP-PDP coalition government’s budget is anti-people, anti-poor, anti-youth and anti-farmer.
He said that there is nothing in the budget to address unemployment in the State.
Dr Sharma said that the agriculture, horticulture and allied sectors are totally neglected in the budget which has great potential in the State and contribute directly or indirectly to the provide maximum employment to the State but it is unfortunate that nothing has been mentioned to provide financial assistance to promote this core sector which is already in stress as well the promise of waiver of Kissan loans up to Rs 50,000 in last budget is still a dream for farmers.
Dr Sharma said that the present state budget is a cheating with employees, daily wagers and the pensioners of the State as there is no time limit and provision of funds kept to regularise 61,000 daily wagers. Terming it as fraud with daily wagers, he said that if the government is sincere to regularize these daily wagers why they are hesitating to implement the cabinet sub-committee report of 2013-14 and instead is going for a committee under the chairmanship of Chief Secretary. “The announcement of implementation of 7th pay commission in 2018 has no relevance in this budget”, he asserted.
Dr Sharma further said that the budget is lacking of social sector as there is no welfare scheme for the upliftment of down trodden and weaker sections of the society.
Dr Sharma termed this budget as directionless budget as there is nothing in budget that would give new direction and impetus to either the developmental process or lead to rejuvinate the state economy.
He criticised the government saying budget is silent over the previous liabilities worth hundreds of crores of rupees both for central sponsored as well as State sector schemes such as MNREGA, Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, Public Works Department (R&B), PHE and Irrigation and Flood Control.
Dr Sharma said that the power budget lacks proposal to tackle power losses or T&D losses. “The augmentation, generation, transmission and distribution network in the State is in shambles but no funds provisioning has been proposed in budgetary estimates of this budget”, he said and questioned what is the fun of separate budgetary provision of power?
