Ravi S Singh
New Delhi, February 2
The Narendra Modi gave a lie to wide-ranging apprehensions among its opponents that it would throw up with populist announcements in the Union Budget 2022-23 in view of the Assembly elections in five States, including Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and, Uttarakhand.
The general view is that the Budget is staid and prosaic as it did not offer sops, in the old school way, to win electoral battle.
What has been offered instead in the budget to a comparatively limited extent, was proposals for hard core infrastructure, and developmental projects including eight roadways project under “Parvatmala: National Ropeways Programme” covering a total length of 60 Kms.
The Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, in her Budget speech, did notname states where this project would be implemented.
It is, however axiomatic, that the ropeways would be set up in hilly states, namely Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Ut’s of Jammu and Kashmir and north-east States.
“As a preferred ecological sustainable alternative to conventional roads in difficult hilly areas, National Ropeways Development Programme will be taken up on PPP mode,” Sitharaman said in here speech.
The opposition leaders remained tight lipped on the apparent de-linking the Modi government shrivelling political overtones in the Budget. Politics has been de-linked from it and infusing it with pure economics and commerce.
Ironically, many voices in the Opposition spectrumflayed the government for presenting a wet budget, bereft of any relief to common man.
Join Whatsapp Channel of The Tribune for latest updates.