Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Feb 07, 2008
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version
Online edition of India's National Newspaper Thursday, Feb 07, 2008 ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version |
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NEW DELHI: Finance Minister P. Chidambaram was on Wednesday besieged with budgetary demands from his party colleagues ranging from lower interest on home loans and higher limit for income tax exemption to concrete steps to check the prices of essential commodities. There was unanimity on the observation that the benefits of the nearly nine per cent growth rate had not trickled down to the “aam aadmi,” the poor. AICC Media Committee chairman M. Veerappa Moily told journalists that the office-bearers told Mr. Chidambaram that the GDP growth should benefit all, not just the upper crust of the society. It would have to trickle down through budgetary support and the state would have to intervene to make it possible. “All GDP growth will be flooded away if the price rise is not controlled.” According to Mr. Moily, several office-bearers felt that after Rahul Gandhi took charge of the Youth Congress and the National Students Union of India, the youth were looking forward with great hope. “We expect this year’s budget to respond positively to the aspirations of the youth with employment generation programmes linked to capacity building and to bridge the gap between semi-educated and professionally qualified youth.” Mr. Chidambaram listened to senior Working Committee members, party general secretaries, secretaries and members of Parliamentary Standing Committees for two-and-half hours on what they want in this budget in this crucial election year. Suicide of farmers, agrarian distress, cheaper credit, the impending petrol hike, LPG shortage, housing for the poor, health for all, schemes for artisans, handloom weavers and such demands dominated the discussions. Later Mr. Chidambaram told journalists that he would respond on February 29, the day of the presentation of the budget. The party sought waiver of loans to small and marginal farmers (the scheme is already under way as reported by The Hindu), stepping up of farm credit, universal weather-based crop insurance scheme, new schemes for redressing farmers’ debts and raising the Rs. 3-lakh limit for loans to farmers at seven per cent interest. The Public Distribution System should be redesigned as a food security programme. The party sought national scholarship in higher education for the disadvantaged and marginalised sections and the Other Backward Classes. Gender budgetingWomen office-bearers including Mohsina Kidwai and Rita Bahuguna Joshi sought gender budgeting and incentive asset building plans.
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