Guwahati, Feb 6: Budget 2022-23
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented a budget worth Rs 39.45 lakh crore with a massive push to infrastructure spending. However, the budget was a little disappointing as far as the taxpaying middle class was concerned with the government taking a cautious approach.
From expansion of national highways, affordable housing to manufacturing of 400 new generation Vande Bharat trains and more such measures, the government aims to enhance job creation and boost economic activity.
Apart from announcing five major infrastructure projects the Fin Min proposed rolling out 5G telecom services, announced a national tele-programme for mental health; and brought virtual currencies like cryptocurrency under the tax net. Meanwhile, a large number of commonly used items will become more expensive due to a hike in customs duties on imported parts, as proposed by Sitharaman in the Union Budget for 2022-23.
Ripun Bora lashes out at PM Modi
While speaking on the Motion of Thanks to President's Address in Rajya Sabha, Congress MP Ripun Bora lashed out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for failing to create a single Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) and rather privatising at least 23 PSUs.
He compared the previous Prime Ministers with PM Modi on the matter and said Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi created 16 PSUs without privatisation while NDA PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee created 17 PSUs and Congress' Manmohan Singh created 23 PSUs while privatising three.
Taking a dig at the Modi government he also said that nothing was mentioned in President's speech on how to recover the economy of the nation due to Covid situation. He further raised the issue of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) and noted how the Indian armed forces ambushed and killed 17 coal miners in Nagaland's Mon district on December 4 last year.
Madrassa Repeal Acts
The Gauhati High Court (GHC) on February 4 gave a green signal to convert Madrassas into general educational institutions in Assam.
In a significant judgment, GHC has upheld the constitutionality of the law passed by the Assam assembly in 2020 to convert 397 State-funded Madrassas (called "provincialized Madrasas") into general schools.
A division bench comprising Chief Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia and Justice Soumitra Saikia while dismissing the petition filed by a group of 13 petitioners observed that "The Madrasas in question, which are "wholly maintained out of State funds", cannot impart religious instructions in terms of the mandate of Article 2."
However, the repealing Acts does not affect the privately or community run madrassas and will only impact 397 madrassas and four Arabic colleges run by the government.
Meanwhile, the state government has assured that there will be no change of status, pay, allowances and service conditions of the teaching and non-teaching staff of the madrassas under the Assam Repealing Act, which was passed during the tenure of the first BJP-led government in the state.