Post News Network
Bhubaneswar, Feb 17: The Opposition Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have severely criticised the annual budget for 2015—16 a day after it was tabled in the Assembly by finance minister Pradip Kumar Amat.
The Congress termed this year’s budget anti-poor and anti-farmer, while the BJP has called it a ‘copy and paste’ budget.
Orissa Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) president Prasad Harichandan said at the party office that the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) government’s claim of 5.15 per cent increase in budgetary outlay is misleading as there is no hike in real terms.
“Despite the government’s claim of raising the Budget size for 2015-16 by about 5.15 per cent to `84,487.77 crore from `80,139.8 crore in 2014-15, in real terms there was no hike in view of inflation,” he said.
“Distress sale of paddy is rampant and the government has hardly taken any measure to compensate the farmers,” he said.
Harichandan also highlighted some crucial sectors where the BJD government has failed allocate more funds. “Healthcare is an area of concern in the state, but the state government instead of increasing the Budget of the health department has reduced it for the 2015-16 fiscal,” Harichandan said.
“The education sector has equally been neglected, where the Budget allocation for higher education this year is less than that of the previous year,” he said.
Leader of Opposition and Congress member Narasingha Mishra termed the Budget as “far from the truth”. “Budget 2015-16 has no provision for the social development and financial progress of the backward areas of the state,” he said.
The agriculture Budget contains nothing but some numbers that are far from the truth, he said. Presenting this, the government is trying to manipulate the people of the state, especially farmers.
“There is no point in making a separate agriculture Budget when the farmers are put in a situation that they have to undertake distress sale of paddy,” Mishra said.
BJP legislature party leader Basant Kumar Panda also dubbed the Budget anti-farmer. Panda termed the budget an empty vessel that makes a lot of sound.
“This Budget will not have any real impact,” said Panda.
“In terms of per capita income, the state’s position is 24th in the country. Despite promising a house for the poor and deprived under the Biju Puccka Ghar Yojana, it has made a budget provision of only 700 crore. No special provision has been made to facilitate farmers of the state.”
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik in his budget reaction said, “The budget is pro-people, pro-farmer and inclusive.”
He has also said that provisions of more funds have been made in social sector for vulnerable sections.
Besides, emphasis has been given to agriculture, education sector along with infrastructure development.
