Rajasthan Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Ashok Gehlot | Photo Credit: PTI
Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot criticized it on 1 February union budget For neglecting the critical areas of education, health and social justice and for reducing by 33% the allocation for the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), which proved to be a lifeline for the poor during the COVID-19 pandemic .
Shri Gehlot said that the budget is against the poor, landless farmers and common people.
“The budget only makes hollow announcements to grab headlines… The provision for agriculture and farmers’ welfare is 6% or Rs 7,500 crore less than last year. Similarly, the subsidy for urea has been reduced by 15% or Rs 23,000 crore,” Mr Gehlot said while reacting to the budget.
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Shri Gehlot said that the negligible increase in the budgetary allocation for education, health and women and child development showed that these sectors would remain neglected. Pointing to the rising prices of essential commodities, he said that apart from this, the life of the common man would become even more difficult in the absence of any policy statement to bring down inflation.
The senior Congress leader said the budget was “very disappointing” for Rajasthan, as the demand for national status to the Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project (ERCP), which would benefit 13 districts from the interlinking of three rivers, was not accepted. He said that this project is directly related to the development of the state.
“The Narendra Modi government has sanctioned Rs 5,300 crore as additional assistance to Karnataka for the Upper Bhadra project keeping the elections in mind. This shows the step-motherly treatment of the Center towards Rajasthan,” Mr Gehlot said.
Mr Gehlot said the people of Rajasthan would give a “befitting reply” to the treatment meted out to them at the appropriate time.