No funds granted, state’s interests ignored: CM

Tribune News Service

Shimla, February 1

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu today said that the Interim Budget presented by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman failed to meet the expectations of the people of the country. It was merely a financial web to lure people through promises. The focus of the Budget was to woo voters rather than strengthen the economy, he added.

Sukhu alleged that the interests of Himachal Pradesh had been ignored in the Budget, and no funds had been provided though the Central Government knew it well that the state had suffered huge loss of lives and property during the recent natural disaster.

The Chief Minister said that there was no mention of the expansion of the rail network for the state, no mention of any rapid mass transit system for hilly states like Himachal where metro rail could not be started. “Though green and solar energy have been mentioned in the Budget speech, there is no clear roadmap as to how green and solar energy initiatives will be implemented,” he added.

Sukhu said that no additional tax relief had been given to the middle class, which played an important role in the Indian economy. “The Budget has no mention of controlling inflation. The LPG prices were already high and there has been no reduction in the prices of diesel and petrol to provide relief to common people. There is nothing for the salaried, the poor and the middle class, only capitalists and industrialists have been kept in mind while preparing the Budget. It has exposed the anti-poor face of the Union Government,” he added.

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