Jaitleys gratitude to Punjab - Budget 2014: Kanwar Sandhu ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Though there has been a mixed reaction to the budget of the Narendra Modi government presented by the Finance Minister, Arun Jaitley, most common people are somewhat disappointed with it. And the one who are the most disappointed are the people of Punjab. Since the Akali Dals alliance partner, the BJP, enjoys the majority in Parliament, Punjab was expecting a lions share. What it got was pittance. The Budget was silent on some kind of relief on Punjabs huge debt of Rs 1 Lakh Crore. It did not extend to Punjab the tax concessions for industry presently enjoyed by the hill states of Himachal Pradesh and Uttrakhand. Nothing for crop diversification which is the need of the day in the region. Also, the Budget was silent on money for repair of canals which are in bad shape forcing people to draw ground water in huge qualities through tube-wells. Amritsar has got some money for its heritage status but the people of border areas have got no relief. Even the cycle and hosiery industry in Ludhiana and sports industry in Jalandhar which was awaiting reduction in excise tax is disappointed. No textile hub, no AIIMS like medical institute for Punjab. Yes, an IIM has been announced but its admissions are through a centralised system. All in all, Punjab has been ignored. Either the Punjab Government could not make the right pitch or Jaitley who was slighted in Amritsar during the recent Lok Sabha polls, gave it a royal ignore. What this does means is that instead of looking elsewhere for support, Punjab needs to pull up its socks. It needs to reduce expenditure and tighten its belt. As they say, even the God helps those who help themselves. Src: facebook/sandhu.k
Posted on: Fri, 11 Jul 2014 08:10:03 +0000
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