Budget: Some brickbats, some bouquets

CALLING THE move to provide unemployment allowance to graduates and postgraduates as fulfillment of a promise, Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav said he had presented a development and people-oriented Budget that would remove regional disparities in Uttar Pradesh.

I have kept my promise: CM

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CALLING THE move to provide unemployment allowance to graduates and postgraduates as fulfillment of a promise, Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav said he had presented a development and people-oriented Budget that would remove regional disparities in Uttar Pradesh.

Talking to the media, the Chief Minister said Budgets of his predecessors had led to regional disparities. “This is for the first time that Budget has been prepared keeping in view all sections of society and every region of State,” he said.

The Chief Minister said unemployment allowance would benefit 4 lakh youths and the State Government would spend Rs 240 crore to implement it. A budgetary provision, however, was yet to be made for the scheme. A senior officer said budgetary provision for the scheme might be made in the supplementary Budget.

Replying to a question, the Chief Minister said he had sent a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh requesting him for funds to implement the unemployment allowance scheme.

Yadav refuted charges of the Budget was election oriented. He said the Budget help development activities in the State.