Budget 2017: MP govt hails move towards digitisation, transparency in governance

MP finance minister Jayant Kumar Malaiya said It would alleviate poverty and greatly help farmers and the agriculture sector.

Madhya Pradesh finance minister Jayant Kumar Malaiya termed the union budget as pro-poor and progressive.

An Indian office-worker walks past a digital screen showing Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during finance minister Arun Jaitley delivering the budget speech at Parliament at the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) in Mumbai. (AFP Photo)

He said the government had taken a major step towards digitisation and transparency in governance. It would alleviate poverty and greatly help farmers and the agriculture sector.

Glued to the TV screens since morning, state members of the Confederation of Industries in India were not too excited after the budget presentation.

Talking to the Hindustan Times, Pradeep Karambelkar, chairman CII, Bhopal zonal council, said, “Overall the budget was ok. They have emphasised on infrastructure, health, education and rural development but there is nothing for the corporates and industries.”

“It seemed like the finance minister was just doing an annual ritual and mostly trying to justify the central government’s stand on demonetisation. He gave something to the poor in the form of increased income tax slab but nothing for the middle class, who he praised in his speech,” said Deepak Sharma, state president, Madhya Pradesh Laghu Udyog Sangh.

Lipi Negayech, a student of economics at the Institute of Excellence for Higher Education, Bhopal, said there was nothing extraordinary in the budget that could leave a positive impact on the economy.

A low-income painter by profession, Mangal Rao said he was disappointed with the budget as it did not explain what was cheaper and what was costlier unlike in the previous budgets.