Samikhsya Bureau
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday hailed the Interim Budget tabled in Parliament and said it gives new direction to the economy for making of ‘New India’.
“This Budget has addressed issues concerning farmers, gave income tax relief to tax payers and also has taken care of manufacturing sector,” the Prime Minister said in his post-Budget reaction adding the proposals have taken care of health sector and also housing issues.
“This will give a new direction to the economy and will help towards making of ‘New India’,” Prime Minister said complimenting both the incumbent finance minister Piyush Goyal and also Arun Jaitley, who is undergoing treatment abroad.
In this context, he mentioned about schemes like Ayushman Bharat and Suraksha Bima Yojana and said a large number of people have been benefited.
He said the Swacch Bharat Yojana has helped the cause of nine crore families.
The new measures as announced in the Budget on Thursday, Prime Minister said has benefited three crore middle class people, 12 crore farmers and 30-40 crore workers.
“It is due to government’s efforts that the poverty level is also coming down. A large number of those under neo-middle class category is now entering the middle class grouping,” Modi said.
However, the opposition parties dubbed the Budget as a “jumla”.
Congress president Rahul Gandhi slammed the Modi government for “insulting” farmers with Rs.6,000 a year. In a tweet, he wrote: “Dear NoMo, 5 years of your incompetence and arrogance has destroyed the lives of our farmers. Giving them Rs.17 a day is insult to everything they stand and work for. #AkhriJumlaBudget.”
Senior Congress leader and former finance minister P. Chidambaram too in a series of tweets said the government had missed the fiscal deficit target for 2018-19. He also expressed concern at the current account deficit being 2.5 per cent.
‘’As I had warned, Government misses Fiscal Deficit target for 2018-19. Another red flag rises: CAD is 2.5 percent,’’ Chidambaram tweeted.
Charging the finance minister of copying the Congress’ declaration that the poor have the first right to resources of the country, he said,’’ thank you Interim FM for copying the Congress’ declaration that the poor have the first right to the resources of the country. It was not a Vote on Account. It was an Account for Votes.’’
Terming the Budget as being away from ground reality and bitter facts and one driven by ‘jumlebazi’, Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati said that during the five years of the BJP’s rule, the chasm of economic parity had increased more profoundly.
Making a scathing attack on the budget presented by Goyal, the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister said that money and development had narrowed down to a handful of rich people, which was indicative of the anti-poor, anti-farmer and arrogant mindset of the government.
The BSP supremo said that the BJP’s statements, claims and ‘jumlebazi’ can neither transform the fate of the nation nor it can end the long-standing grave issues like unemployment, inflation and illiteracy which can only be addressed by right intentions and persistently strong determination which has been lacking in the central governments hitherto.
Terming the Budget to be on par with the ‘false’ electoral promises of the BJP, she said that it was de-motivating and triggered restlessness just like demonetisation, GST and the resultant unemployment.
Mayawati further said that the benefits of the governmental schemes for the poor people, farmers and labourers were in fact were being reaped by a handful of rich people rather than the true beneficiaries of the schemes, adding that economic disparity and inequality had increased due to such instances which was against the national interest.
Mayawati appealed the people to be cautious of the false promises, wrong policy and arrogant functioning of the present government and to judge these planks after considering the ground reality. She also said that the people should be aware of the present government’s policy of deflecting common man’s attention from real issues by giving way to religious issues.
On the other hand, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal termed the announcements made by the Centre in the Interim Budget for fiscal 2019-20, as the ‘final jumla of the Narendra Modi government’.
Commenting on Interim Budget, Ganesh Kumar Gupta, president, Federation of Indian Export Organisation (FIEO) said that direct income support to farmers at the rate of Rs.6,000 per year and the mega Pension Yojana for unorganised sector workers at the rate of Rs.3,000 per month would meet the objective of social justice which coupled with Ayushman Bharat will provide modest livelihood to our people in poor strata of the society.
In a statement from Hyderabad, Gupta said that creation of a separate “department of fisheries” will put further focus on marine exports which has already crossed over $7 billion to move to $10 billion by 2020-21.
However, traders’ community expressed disappointment with the Budget. “The Union Budget though seems to be overall good has utterly neglected the trading community and it has highly disappointed seven crore traders of the country who were hoping very high from it,” said Confederation of All India Traders in its release.
CAIT national president B.C. Bhartia and secretary general Praveen Khandelwal said that every other section of the economy has been given relief in the budget except the trading community which is the backbone of the economy. The budget makes us to feel that trading community is like an unwanted community in the country.
(With agency reports)
