The over Rs 1 lakh crore Budget for Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh for 2020-21 — approved by the Rajya Sabha on Monday through separate Bills— laid emphasis on the development of newly carved-out Union Territories with effect from October 31, 2019.
The Bills were subsequently returned to the Lok Sabha, as required under rules for money bills.
The total Budget estimates for the fiscal is Rs 1,01,428 crore, of which developmental expenditure is of the order of Rs 38,764 crore, an increase of 27 per cent. The Government also presented a separate expenditure plan of Rs 55,317.81 crore for the last five months of the current fiscal.
With regard to the Union territory of Ladakh carved out of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, the total Budget Estimates for the past 5 months have been pegged at Rs 5,754 crore. Of this, capital expenditure would be Rs 4,618.35 crore and revenue expenditure would be Rs 1,135.65 crore.
Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad alleged that Jammu and Kashmir was on “ventilator” after the Government put it under a “political quarantine” for the last seven months and a half, saying the situation there was worse than what it was even 30 years ago.
MoS Finance Anurag Singh Thakur, however, said under the current Government there has been a growth in GST, excise duty, stamp duty, banking transactions in Jammu and Kashmir.
“No loss has been evident in micro-terms,” he said on behalf of his senior colleague Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
On the occasion, Thakur recalled how in 2011 he was prevented from unfurling the Indian flag at Kashmir’s Lal Chowk, which is something anyone from any corner of the country can do now in the valley.
Initiating the debate, Azad hoped that the next budget for Jammu and Kashmir would be passed in the Assembly there and all political detainees would be released immediately to help revive political activity in the State.