While welcoming certain aspects in the interim Union Budget presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in Parliament on Thursday, the Kalyana Karnataka Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KKCCI), a body of traders and industrialists, has expressed its discontentment over no allocations to Kalyana Karnataka.
In a media release, Shashikanth B. Patil and Manjunath Jewargi, president and honorary secretary of the KKCCI, respectively, said that they expected some special grants for Kalyana Karnataka region which has been accorded Special Status under Article 371(J) of the Constitution.
“The announcement for upgrading 40,000 normal rail bogies to Vande Bharat standards is a good proposal. The government’s policy priority to ensure timely and adequate finances, relevant technologies and appropriate training for the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to grow and compete globally is also a good move. However, our expectation for special grants for Kalyana Karnataka turned out to be a disappointment,” they said.
A day before the budget session, the KKCCI had put forward a set of demands for the development of the backward Kalyana Karnataka region. None of them has been considered in the budget.
Kalaburagi South MLA Allamprabhu Patil criticised the budget by terming it a magic that will mislead the people without actual delivery to them.
“It is a misleading budget that doesn’t give anything to people in reality. AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge, when he was Railway Minister in the UPA government at the Centre, sanctioned a Railway Division to Kalaburagi. This budget, just as the previous ones presented by the BJP government, has made no mention of it. The government claims that it aims to lift 25 crore people from poverty. However, there are no concrete announcements in the budget to realise it,” Mr. Patil said.
Welcome it
Some of the leaders associated with the BJP have, however, welcomed the budget. The former Sedam MLA Rajkumar Patil Telkur has termed the budget as a visionary move to lay a solid foundation to the economy.
“The budget has focused on developing infrastructure by allocating ₹5.44 crore for upgrading road, rail and air connectivity. It has also given utmost priority to national security. For the first time in history, the allocation for development of science, technology and research has gone up to ₹1.15 crore,” Mr. Telkur said.
Member of Legislative Council Shashil G. Namoshi has said that the budget has targeted the welfare of common people without laying tax burden on them.
“The proposal for construction of three crore new houses under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, extension of Ayushman Bharat scheme to anganwadi workers, expansion of Indradhanush scheme to the entire country, the introduction of Lakhpati Didi scheme to provide skill development training to 20 million women in villages across the country, development of corridors for goods trains and rooftop solarisation for providing free electricity to one crore households are some of the key announcements aimed at the development of the common people,” Mr. Namoshi said.
State vice-president of the BJP’s Scheduled Castes Morcha Ambaraya Ashtagi also welcomed the budget stating that it has kept in mind the development of farmers, youth and women who are the pillar of the country.