The Hindu : New Delhi News : Himachal Pradesh budget ‘static': Opposition

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Tuesday, Mar 15, 2011
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Himachal Pradesh budget ‘static': Opposition

Staff Correspondent

SHIMLA: Initiating the debate on the State Budget, Leader of Opposition in Himachal Pradesh Assembly Vidya Stokes on Monday charged that the BJP-led government has failed on all fronts and Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal has once again presented a “static budget”.

The veteran Congress leader blamed the BJP government for spending just Rs.600 crore out of the grant of Rs.1,000 crore given by the Union Government. She brushed aside all claims of the Dhumal Government of a step-motherly treatment being given by the Centre to the hill State.

Calling the budget presented by the Chief Minister last week as a jugglery of figures, she said the figure given by him of 32.75 per cent of total spending kept for development is wrong. It is in fact just 25 per cent and the rest of it is maintenance money which has been cleverly included under the head of allocation for development.

The Opposition leader also expressed surprise at the budget details again showing a revenue surplus of Rs. 51 crore. Without commenting on the total fiscal deficit, she said it shows that the State is not getting a raw deal from the Centre and it has itself failed to generate its revenue resources.

Chief Minister Dhumal requested the Opposition leader to be specific in her speech and allegations.

Surprisingly, the highly factionalised Congress MLAs instead of standing behind the veteran leader joined the treasury benches in mocking at her vague observations.

Ms. Stokes said a two-thirds population of the State is eking out a living through agriculture and its share of contribution is continuously dipping in the GSDP. The government has failed to provide the compensation under the market intervention scheme to the apple-growing farmers. The average income of a farmer is going down everyday as subsidies are being cut regularly.

The State Government employees are also suffering and only a part of arrears has been announced for them.

The Government has also failed to earn capital from the hydro-electric projects and there is no infrastructural development going on in the State, she alleged.

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