Opposition parties on Thursday termed Chief Minister Champai Soren government's first budget as "disappointment" and an "anti-poor" exercise. But the ruling parties have hailed the budget and the trade bodies have welcomed several initiatives in the budget.
BJP state president Babulal Marandi called it a budget with short-sighted thinking and anti-development. Babulal said that this budget is only going to loot and plunder the state treasury. It does not include any forward-thinking public welfare schemes. The way for looting has been kept open for the officers by merely copying and pasting the looting schemes. Four years ago, the coalition government had promised to give loan waiver of up to Rs 2 lakh to the farmers of the state. But everything went empty. The promise of unemployment allowance for the youth also proved to be a complete failure. On the contrary, this government did injustice to the farmers by stopping the schemes of the BJP government. Farmers are also making rounds for their paddy dues. Farmers were forced to sell paddy to middlemen.
AJSU Legislative Party leader Sudesh Kumar Mahato, while reacting to the budget presented by the government in the Jharkhand Assembly, has said that reducing budgetary allocation of the education department is disappointing. Also, there is a lack of will in the budget to increase health facilities. In a state like Jharkhand, there is a need for radical changes in the field of education and medicine. Any progressive state gives special importance to the fields of education and health. There is no place to raise hopes regarding employment.
Earlier, the Jharkhand government on Tuesday tabled a Rs 1.28 lakh crore budget for the 2024-25 fiscal in the assembly. The budgetary estimates for FY'25 were up by over 10 per cent from the previous annual financial statement. The JMM-led coalition government had presented a budget of Rs 1.16 lakh crore for the current financial year 2023-24.
Representatives of Jharkhand Chamber of Commerce have mixed reactions on the budget. Chamber President Kishore Mantri said that 10.7 percent more budgetary provision has been made this financial year as compared to last year. The target of making the state an economy of Rs 10 trillion by the year 2030 is encouraging. The budget presented by the finance minister is normal. In which no new scheme has been brought for the development of trade and industry. The government has focused its attention on the upliftment of the rural economy. There has been talk of establishment of a new medical college in the capital Ranchi.
But there is a need to focus on improving the condition of RIMS and Sadar Hospital. Giving industry status to tourism is a welcome step. General Secretary Paresh Gattani said that there is a balanced budget. Increasing the size of the budget this financial year and aiming to make Jharkhand a Rs 10 trillion economy by 2030 reflects the government's long-term thinking. Through the budget, a commitment has been shown to provide employment to one lakh people by attracting investment of more than Rs 20 thousand crores. But there is a lack of clarity in this. The government has also accepted that uninterrupted power supply is essential for the progress of industry and trade.
