Calling the Interim Union Budget, presented in the Parliament on Monday for the year 2014-15, as an eye-wash the principle Opposition parties in Jharkhand have said that the budget is targeted towards benefitting the middle class while the poor people seems to be neglected.
The State Congress, on the other hand, termed it balanced and progressive which presents the original picture of the economic development in the country. CM Hemant Soren has also called it a balanced one.
“This Interim Budget has dissatisfied the common people,which also could not convey a positive message on financial and fiscal strengthening of our economy,” stated an official communiqué of the leader of Opposition in the Jharkhand Assembly Arjun Munda.
Munda further stated that it was disappointing on the part of reforms in agricultural and industrial s sectors. Despite high price rise and devaluation of rupee in the international market, no income tax relief was granted to the middle class, he said. Munda also stated that the interim budget is a complete eye-wash which has been prepared keeping the coming general elections in mind which is not going to benefit the poor people at all.
State BJP president Ravindra Rai also claimed that the budget was prepared to dupe the common man giving no relief to them. “All efforts have been made to woo the middle class while neglecting the poor people….. No relief has been given to the poor people,” said Rai. They could have focused on the goods of daily use, he added.
According to Jharkhand Vikas Morcha MlA Pradeep Yadav, there was nothing new in the budget where Chidambaram had tried to woo the people neglecting the farmers. “The field of Information Technology has also been neglected in this budget,” said Yadav.
Chief Minister Hemant Soren however, called the Interim Budget as balanced where an all round effort has been made to benefit the middle and lower middle class people but only time will prove that how effective it will be. “In this Interim Budget, the government has tried to act on the expectations of the common people but only time will tell that how effective it will be,” said Soren.
Jharkhand Pradesh Congress Committee (JPCC) on the other hand believes that the budget is a perfectly balanced and progressive one presenting the true picture of the economic development in the Country. “Since the opposition has nothing to say against it, they are calling it an election stunt which has been prepared to woo the people, itself proves that there is no flaw in it,” said JPCC Spokesperson Sailesh Sinha. Despite global economic slowdown, relief has been given in the field of education and electronic goods without making any changes in the income tax slots of the common people, said Sinha.
Federation of Jharkhand Chamber of Commerce and Industries (FJCCI) has also called the Interim Budget as an election stunt which is not going to benefit the people until adequate steps are taken to bring economic reforms in the country.
Finance Minister P Chidambaram on Monday, while presenting Union Budget for 2014-15, slashed excise duty on cars, SUVs and two-wheelers, capital goods and consumer durables to boost manufacturing and growth. He also provided service tax exemption for storage and warehousing of rice like it was done in case of paddy last year. The blood banks have also been exempted from its purview.