Punjab CM on Union budget: Nothing tangible, only pompous announcements

Slamming the Union budget as high on pomposity and low on tangibles, chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Saturday said the economy was clearly not a priority

Slamming the Union budget as high on pomposity and low on tangibles, chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Saturday said the economy was clearly not a priority for the BJP-led central government, which was too busy in pursuing its “negative and divisive agenda”.

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“There was nothing in the budget that could pave way for economic reforms or raise public consumption that was an imperative for reviving the economy. The budget was nothing but mere rhetoric,” said the CM, adding that it had failed to address the problems of any section of the society, be it the farmers, youth, industry/business or the middle class and the poor.

Far from reviving business sentiment, the non-visionary budget, which reflected the Union government’s apathy to the needs and aspirations of the people, would plunge the economy further to abysmal depths, said Amarinder.

The 16-point action plan for agriculture makes no mention of any initiatives or schemes to encourage crop diversification, said the CM, castigating the failure of the central government to provide the much-needed push to infrastructure.

Terming the ₹10,340 crore hike provided for the modernisation of the defence forces and purchase of new weapon systems a pathetic joke, the CM said this was worse than the increment even a clerk expects at the end of the year.

He also flayed the Centre’s failure to address the concern of the states, including Punjab, on the delays in release of the GST compensation. The budget has not offered any cheer for the industry with a meagre ₹27,300 crore allocated for promotion of industry and commerce, he said.

“Some grandiose plans have been announced to make every district an export hub, but no roadmap has been drawn on the way forward, which shows how clueless the Government is when it comes to the nation’s economic development and progress,” he added.

The budget had failed to make any outlay for the celebration of the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak and the upcoming 400th celebration of Guru Teg Bahadur, or for the promotion of Sikh culture and heritage, the CM said.

He said that as for health, 10% increase over last year’s allocation can hardly be termed sufficient for the needs of a nation of billion plus.