The Congress has strongly criticised the Union Government calling its general budget a directionless budget detrimental to the interests of the common people and Uttarakhand. Chief Minister Harish Rawat said that the general budget would cause price-rise as increase in service tax will raise rail fare and the cost of other services.
Rawat said, “Considering the seventh pay commission, income tax slab should have been raised which was not done to the disappointment of service class. Much was expected from Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley but nothing was gained. Presenting the condition of the state repeatedly with the centre, we had requested the centre for assistance but at present it appears as if Uttarakhand is being neglected in the budget. We had requested clearing of approved budget due for disaster hit Uttarakhand, compensation for the loss resulting from the 14th finance commission, green bonus and financial assistance from the Centre for the Ardh Kumbh but these have been ignored in the budget,” said the CM.
The Uttarakhand Pradesh Congress Committee president Kishore Upadhyay lambasted the centre stating that there had been no rise in any income tax rebate slab.
Despite the CM’s repeated requests to the Prime Minister and union finance minister, the State neither got green bonus nor any provision for Char Dham Yatra and Ardh Kumbh, he said. “There appears to be no special provision for women in this budget while no relief has been given to farmers. From the State’s viewpoint, the general budget was disappointing just like the rail budget. People were expecting some relief in the form of green bonus and that adequate budget would be provided for the the cuts made in central allocations to the State. Uttarakhand was neither accorded special status nor was fund provided for the Kumbh or other developmental schemes.”
lambasting the general budget, the CM’s media in charge Surendra Kumar has sought the resignations of five BJP MPs of lok Sabha. He stated, “ The BJP MPs have remained mute while no provision was made in the budget for green bonus, water bonus, relocation of 300 disaster affected villages and other essential works. Kumar said, “The CM had written to the prime minister and finance minister seeking release of Rs500 crore for the Ardh Kumbh Mela and approval of Rs2,000 crore green bonus among other issues but the general budget has no clarity regarding these issues,” said Kumar.