New Delhi: Jammu and Kashmir National Conference senior leader and Member of Parliament from Anantnag (Retd) Justice Hasnain Masoodi said the union budget 2020-21 sans vision, saying it does not offer any road map towards removing bottle necks preventing growth.
Member of Parliament while speaking in the Lok Sabha said the incumbent government has miserably failed to take steps to revive the ailing economy and motor the growth in Agriculture sector. “The major drop off in fertilizer subsidies in the 2020-21 budgetary allocations will hit the agriculture production. The decrease in the subsidy on fertilizer will hit the marginal farmers, who are already at the receiving end due to the vagaries of weather across the country. The farmers are already finding it difficult to liquidate their loans following loses to their annual produce due to inclement weather. The farmers will perceptibly cut on their fertilizer usage due to cost escalation, which will show up in the form of less produce.”
Member of Parliament said the 2020-21 Budget is clueless on the challenges faced by Indian economy, “there is nothing substantial in the budget that endeavors to revive the demand and consumption. The only way to stipulate the economy is to give money in the hands of deprived and under privileged. The budget is more of a patch work devised to hide the failure of the incumbent government on stimulating growth. Every budget has a purpose, it reflects the circumstances prevailing in the country, and it also strives to drive the growth and development; unfortunately this budget is clueless on all fronts,” adding, “ the Tax Reforms too have failed to give breather to multifarious economic sectors of the country.”
While speaking in Lok Sabha Masoodi said there can be no tradeoff between budget and political aspirations of the people. The Government should restore Autonomy to the state, protect the interests of its people and restore its territorial integrity, “However government cannot shut its eyes to the woes of people. The orchardists, manufactures and business fraternity have incurred immense losses due to the vagaries of weather, intermittent highway blockages and tumultuous situation. The whole economic activity has come to stagnation. The number of unemployed youth is brimming. People are getting no succor from any quarter. The government is duty bound to address the problems of the people of J&K,” he said.
He said the annual budgetary allocation for J&K is diminutive and directionless. “The fate of nearly sixty one thousand consolidated and daily wagers is hanging in lurch; the government should without any delay regularize them besides clearing their back wages on priority basis. The pay anomalies in SR0-202 should also be revisited to bring the wages of employees engaged under it at par with other government employees,” he said.
Speaking on the electricity crisis in Kashmir he impressed upon the government to augment the existing power infrastructure in Kashmir. “The people in Kashmir, in rural and urban areas have been shivering in Sub-Zero temperatures due to the pesky power supply. The government should invest in the sector to ensure consumers get unhindered power supply,” he said.
He said the recompose being given out to the orchardists, who have heavy losses due to ongoing winter seasons intermittent snowfall is akin to rubbing salt to their wounds. “The government is giving them RS900 per kannal as recompense to their losses. However the losses exceed the paltry recompense being given to them. The orchardists have incurred losses to the un-plucked fruit, and the consignment of fruit which failed to reach their markets because of frequent logger jams on national highway connecting Srinagar with rest of the country. The orchards have also lost their vegetative parts, thousands have been uprooted and many others have suffered with other serious damages. As such the losses are immense and will take many years to put the primary sector back on track. Therefore a comprehensive economic package should be doled out for the affected orchardists and other marginal farmers. The respite should come in the form of loan wavers, and relaxation in liquidation of loans.”
Meantime Masoodi has also welcomed the unearthing of nexus between some agencies and Airport Authorities at Srinagar Air port seeking a through probe into the whole issue. “The exorbitant cost escalation of air fares between Srinagar-Jammu, and Srinagar –Delhi used to put the people through inconvenience. The unearthing of the nexus between various elements needs to be probed and guilty punished. I seek a time bound inquiry into the issue,” he added. (KNT)
