Begin typing your search above and press return to search.

Opp critical of budget proposals

By Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI, March 12 � The Opposition today described the budget presented by Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi for the 2012-13 fiscal as a �usual budget devoid of anything new for the State�s people.�

�It is a bad budget for the people of the State. It has failed to reflect the wishes of the people and some old schemes have been presented through it as new ones,� they said.

Former Chief Minister and Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) legislator Prafulla Kumar Mahanta asserted that the budget would not be able to strengthen the foundation of the State�s economy.

He further said that only 44 per cent of the earlier allocations have been spent by the State Government and the rest have been kept in revenue deposit to obtain more money from the Planning Commission.

AGP Legislature Party Leader Phani Bhusan Choudhury said the budget lacks a clear direction to benefit the people. It has proposed nothing to curb price rise and to solve the unemployment problem.

Despite the repeated stress of the Chief Minister on solving the problem of erosion, the budget presented by him has failed to spell out any clear step to check the problem. The budget has proposed a compensation of only Rs 5,000 and two bundles of CI sheets to each of the erosion-hit families, he said.

Welcoming the proposal to set up a film archive in the name of Bhupen Hazarika, he regretted that there is no step pronounced in the budget to preserve his cremation ground.

Choudhury also resented that there is no proposal in the budget for the development of the backward classes of the people who comprise about 60 per cent of the State�s population. Moreover, the budget is silent on the issue of the Scheduled Tribe status demanded by the six ethnic groups, he said.

All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) legislature party leader Sirajuddin Ajmal described the budget as a camouflaged one wrapping the gloomy aspects of the State�s economy with rosy ones. It is hence a bad budget, he said.

The attitude of the Ministers and the bureaucrats of the State are lackadaisical towards the people and hence the wishes of the people are not reflected in the budget, claimed the AIUDF leader.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislature party leader Prasanta Phukan said that the budget has proposed only 50 per cent subsidy for power tillers, against the 75 per cent it proposed last year. For, last year was the election year and the ruling party was under compulsion to present an election-oriented budget.

Next Story