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Srinagar: The National Conference (NC) on Wednesday described the Union budget as a “big flop” and “jugglery of words”, saying the only takeaway from it was that it was presented by a woman finance minister under a woman president.
“It was jugglery of words and there was nothing else in the budget. Except for playing with words and figures, I think the budget is a big flop,” NC’s chief spokesperson Tanvir Sadiq said here.
Referring to a recent Oxfam report, which stated that the income of 84 per cent households in the country declined and the number of billionaires increased from 102 in 2020 to 142 in 2022, he said in India, the poor has become poorer and the rich richer.
“The middle class and the poor had expected that the 80C (section of the IT Act) limit would be increased, the tax slab would be increased to Rs 10 lakh. There was no discussion on horticulture, agriculture, tourism, transport, artisans, at least for Jammu and Kashmir. The people of Jammu and Kashmir had expected a lot from this budget, but there is nothing in it, nothing about joblessness or employment (generation),” the NC leader said.
He claimed that there is nothing in the budget for the poor and the middle class.
“The only takeaway is that this budget has been presented under a woman president, by a woman finance minister. That is the only good part about it,” he added.
Sadiq said there was no pre-budget consultation with the stakeholders in Jammu and Kashmir.
“It brings me to the question of how important an elected government is in Jammu and Kashmir, which at least feels the pulse of the people,” he added.
Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) said Jammu and Kashmir has been neglected in the Union Budget and it has no roadmap for dealing with rising prices and unemployment,
“The budget has not brought any good news for the poor, unemployed youths and farmers besides small traders who are worst affected by the economic policies of the BJP government,” PCC chief spokesperson Ravinder Sharma said in a statement.
He said the budget has no roadmap for dealing with rising prices, large scale unemployment and economic crisis faced by farmers.
“Jammu and Kashmir has been suffering for the last over three years and it has been neglected in the budget,” he said, adding even the wages of MGNREGA workers have not been enhanced.
“There is no good news for the anganwadi workers, daily wagers and the working class except a small tax rebate to the middle class. Farmers, who were promised to double their income, are in great economic distress and there is no relief for them in the budget,” he said.
Meanwhile, Jammu-based Federation of Industries (FOI) welcomed the Union Budget as “industry friendly” and beneficial for all sections of society in J-K.
“We welcome the proposals for the speedy development of the MSME sector as well as for the corporate sector within Jammu and Kashmir and other parts of the country,” the FOI said.
However, the industry body requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to provide adequate funds for the development of industrial infrastructure, which includes the completion of industrial estates, in time bound manner in the Union territory on the basis of Rs 28,400 crore industrial package announced in January last year.
Senior CPI(M) leader MY Tarigami said the Union budget for 2023-24 was a “huge disappointment” for Jammu and Kashmir as the proposals contained in it failed to address the basic and fundamental issues of the region, which is mostly dependent on agriculture and horticulture.
He said the budget presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman was just “jugglery of words” as it lacked the vision to tackle the growing unemployment, price rise and provide relief to the protesting daily wagers and other workers and employees under various government schemes.
“The budget is a huge disappointment for the people of Jammu and Kashmir. It has failed to address the basic and fundamental issues of the region, which is mostly dependent on agriculture and horticulture,” Tarigami told PTI.
He said reducing the expenditure on agriculture at the national level will have its impact on Jammu and Kashmir as well.
“The year 2022 proved to be devastating for apple growers as they suffered huge losses due to the falling prices of their produce. There was no mention or attempt to provide any relief to them. Same is true about the farmers growing wheat, rice and saffron crops who also suffered losses,” he said.
