Delhi BJP on Tuesday hailed the Union Budget 2024-25 presented by the Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and termed it a comprehensive budget, a road map for a development India while the Delhi Congress termed it a copy paste budget.
South Delhi MP Ramvir Singh Bidhuri said the first budget of Modi 3.0 takes care of every section and sector. “This budget is a roadmap for a developed India. It will fulfill the vision and dream of a developed India by 2047,” he said. Bidhuri stated that the highest allocation for defense clearly reflects India’s intention for sovereignty and modernisation. Taking a dig at the AAP government’s demand, Delhi BJP President Virendra Sachdeva said Delhi Government was demanding 10 per cent of Direct Taxes collected from Delhi which is around 21,000 crores but the budget gives back almost 30 per cent of the tax collected from Delhi under various service heads.
He further added that the direct budgetary allocation for Delhi is 1168 crores apart from Rs. 11,180 crores for operational costs of Delhi Police along with 220 crores for infrastructure development of Delhi. “Other allocations for Delhi come under heads of Delhi Metro, N.H.A.I., R.R.T.S., NDMC operational costs, Budgets of various central hospitals of Delhi like AIIMS & R.M.L. etc, cost of pensions to Delhi Government employees, Budgets of Central Government Universities etc. all add upto over Rs. 50,000 crores which is around 30% of Direct Taxes collected from Delhi,” he claimed.
He accused the Delhi Government of trying to mislead Delhiites and said that they are well aware of the contribution of the Centre Government in making Delhi a true national capital.
Additionally, the Delhi Congress President Devender Yadav also hit out at the BJP for treating the national Capital in a step motherly manner. “The Union Budget presented in Parliament has treated the Delhi in a step-motherly manner, as had been happening for the past 10 years, by reducing the budgetary allocation for pollution control, health, education, Delhi police, women, street vendors, and more shockingly, for the resettlement of the poor living in the JJ Clusters and unauthorized colonies, as 22,487 crore had been surrendered from the previous budgetary allocation for the PM Awaz Yojna for creating housing for the poor.”
Calling it a “copy paste of the Congress manifesto and previous budgets”, he said that instead of strengthening the hospital infrastructure, the Union Budget has reduced the allocation for Safdarjung and Lardy Hardinge hospitals, two premier hospitals in the Capital.