NEW DELHI: The AAP on Thursday said the Centre has once again meted out a“step-motherly” treatment to city as the allocation in the Interim Budget was almost same as last year.
“Delhi has a share of Rs 15,000 crore in central taxes but it has only been allocated Rs 1,100 crore by the Centre. Like every time, we have been given step-motherly treatment. The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has not been given a single penny,” she said.
“The government has provided central assistance of Rs 15,000 crore to Rs 16,000 crore to urban local bodies but no allocations has been made for the MCD. They do not have money for the Delhi government or the MCD,” Atishi said.
On Sitharaman’s announcement that the government has decided to enhance the target for creating ‘Lakhpati Didis’ from two crore to three crore, the AAP leader said that at a time, when “women are worried about atta, dal and buying LPG cylinders, this is a huge joke that women will be made ‘lakhpatis’”. “Where are jobs and business opportunities for women?” she asked.
The ‘Lakhpati Didi’ scheme is aimed at training women in self-help groups (SHGs) so that they can earn a sustainable income of at least Rs 1 lakh per annum.
Atishi alleged that this budget has once again proved that the BJP-led central government is actually a government of hollow promises .
“I want to tell the Centre and the BJP to stop ‘jumlebaazi’. The entire country has seen how in the last 10 years, you have done nothing to curb price rise, unemployment and bring about the country’s economic growth.” “This budget has once again proved that the Modi government is actually a ‘jumlewali’ government (a government of hollow promises). There is no relief in cost of LPG cylinder and no relief in income tax slabs. There is nothing for creation of jobs. There is no relief on GST on food items like atta, pulses,” she said.
Atishi welcomed the hike in the defence budget to Rs 6.21 lakh crore for 2024-25 from last year’s Rs 5.94 lakh crore. She said the defence forces should get the best of facilities but stressed that the allocated funds should reach them.
“We had seen how one jawan raised questions over the quality of food served to them. The food quality did not improve but the jawan lost his job. We hope that the bravehearts who guard our borders get those funds in reality,” she added.
AAP MP Swati Maliwal said, “This is a disappointing budget. Inflation and unemployment are at their peak in the country but there is nothing about it in the budget. It is a disappointing budget for the common people.”
Delhi Congress chief Arvinder Singh Lovely termed the interim budget “disappointing”, saying it has ignored issues such as inflation and unemployment. “It was disappointing that the budget before the Lok Sabha elections has neglected employment generation, small and medium industrialists and traders, factory owners, women, the youth, labourers and farmers. They don’t figure in the scheme of things of the government,” Lovely said.
Lovely claimed that the finance ministry has made less allocations for education, agriculture, health and public welfare.He said it was foolish to expect anything new from the Modi Government which had done nothing for the welfare of the struggling masses for the past 10 years.
The Union Territory of Delhi has been allocated Rs 1,168 crore for the current financial year, which is the same as the amount allocated for 2023-24. However, Delhi Police saw a 4.47 percent decline, as it was allocated Rs 11,397 crore, approximately Rs 535 crore or 4.47 percent less than the previous year’s budget estimate. The announcement of Rs 1,168 crore to Delhi drew sharp criticism from the AAP-ruled Delhi government, labeling it as “step-motherly” treatment by the BJP-ruled central government.
In the 2022-23 budget, Delhi was allocated Rs 960 crore, which was increased to Rs 1,168.01 crore in 2023-24 and remains the same for 2024-25. Grants for contributions to the UT Disaster Response Fund were Rs 15 crore, with additional central assistance for externally aided projects, such as the Chandrawal water treatment plant, mirroring the last year’s budget.