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Budget disappointing, offers nothing to State: Opposition

By Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI, Feb 1 - The Opposition in Assam slammed the first Union Budget after the GST rollout, presented on the floor of the Parliament today by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley as thoroughly disappointing with little to offer to Assam and the North East.

The rural and agricultural distress that this NDA government�s last full budget is supposed to address, will hardly benefit the agri-sector and the farmers of Assam with no specific allocation for the region, said the Congress.

Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) vice president Pradyut Bordoloi told The Assam Tribune that the Union Budget is all hype and no substance so far the North East is concerned. �This government has been systematically depriving Assam and the North East, and non-renewal of the NEIIPP is the biggest example of that. We expected the region to get at least something special in the budget as it lost the special status and all other incentives coming with it.

�Further, we are not sure how much our poor women would benefit from the LPG scheme. Similar is the case with our farmers as most of the incentives announced for the farmers would go to states having organised farming and agro-based industries. There should have been some specific allocation for Assam and the NE, if the Union government intended to extend the benefits to the people of this region,� he added.

AIUDF president Maulana Badruddin Ajmal alleged that the budget was prepared with the ensuing elections in mind and corporate and big players were given priority over the farmers and the poor. Minorities, on the other hand, were clearly ignored.

�Any need for making an allocation for the minorities was not felt by the government. Moreover, claiming to be a North East-friendly government, the BJP government brought no hope for the region or Assam, through its last full budget.

�Though border security and connectivity have been emphasised in the budget, the Indo-Bangladesh border issue finds no mention in the document. Nor any announcement has been made to boost the tea industry,� he added.

�Prices of cashew nut have been decreased instead of rice, pulses and other basic essential commodities. It speaks volumes of the Union government�s priorities,� he further mentioned.

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