The lack of mention of allocation for projects in Andhra Pradesh, especially those proposed in the north Andhra region in the Union Budget came in for severe criticism by the Left parties. No funds for the South Coast Railway Zone (SCoR) with its headquarter in Visakhapatnam and lack of mention of the A.P. Reorganisation Act, 2014, are ‘injustice’ to the State, they opined.
CPI (M) State secretariat member Ch. Narasinga Rao described the Union Budget-2022 as a ‘big disappointment’ for A.P. “There is no allocation for the railway zone, Special Category Status (SCS) for A.P. The thrust on privatisation would hamper the growth, leading to loss of employment. Though the Centre had agreed to adopt the recommendations of the Swaminathan Committee, no such measures seem to have been taken in the Budget. Now, States would be asked to implement power sector reforms and do away with the free power to farmers, with the objective of privatising the Discoms. The number of days for employment guarantee under theMGNREGS were planned to be cut drastically,” he said.
CPI State assistant secretary J.V.S.N. Murthy said there was no relief for the middle class and wage earners. “The Prime Minister had promised to create 2 crore jobs per annum, but the Budget mentioned that about 60lakh jobs were provided in five years. The handloom sector was given only ₹200 crore, about 10 times less than the allocation made in the last budget,” he said.
The Forum for Development of North Andhra (FDNA) has described the Budget as ‘an attempt to handover the wealth of the nation to corporate groups. “Though the Budget claims to be pro-poor and pro-middle class, no allocations were made for their welfare,” alleged FDNA general secretary A. Aja Sarma.
“There was no mention on repeal of the decision on the strategic sale of the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant though the VSP workers have been protesting against the move for nearly a year. There was no word on allocations for the assurances given in the A.P. State Reorganisation Act, 2014,” he said.
‘Raw deal’
Even as the Finance Minister made a mention of special efforts for development of the backward districts, no mention was made on such districts in the North Andhra and Rayalaseema region.
Meanwhile, Andhra Pradesh Chambers of Commerce president Pydah Krishna Prasad said that the Budget focused on long-term benefits of creating infrastructure and providing jobs. “The 35.4 % hike in the publicCAPEX is laudable. The extension of ECLGS with additional allocation to the COVID-hit sectors like hospitality is a welcome move as it will empower the struggling MSMEs,” he said.
