NEW DELHI: The Opposition parties on Friday slammed the government for low allocations for the manufacturing and agriculture sectors in the Union Budget and said it has failed to address key issues like inflation and unemployment.
The parties also asked the government to take steps to enhance economic activity and increase disposable income of the people.
During a discussion on the Union Budget in the Lok Sabha, Congress member Pradyut Bordoloi claimed that the income tax measure announced in the budget will benefit only 2 per cent of the country’s population. “There are no major interventions to curb inflation,” he said.
Bordoloi asked the government to expand and strengthen food security, increase allocation to public distribution system, and universalise free ration distribution for the next two years. “Reduce GST on essentials like food, medicine and medical insurance,” he said.
Chandrashekhar of the Azad Samaj Party (Kanshi Ram) said that the Budget was a let-down for the poor, who had a lot of expectations from it. He said that in 2023-24, the SCs and STs received 3.43% of the budget, when the population is around 22%-25%. This year, it has been reduced to 3.3%.
CPI (ML) Liberation MP Sudama Prasad also criticised the budget and said it is pro-rich. “A pro-rich budget has been presented by the government,” he said, adding that there is nothing for the poor and youth in the budget. He also alleged that the government has cut the allocations pertaining to sectors like agriculture and education.
TMC’s Satabadi Roy said every budget is full of politics and this time the focus is on Bihar, where elections are due later this year. She alleged that nothing was given to West Bengal.