Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao has expressed concern that the Union Budget introduced by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitaraman has come as a severe disappointment to all sections of people, including those from the under privileged sections, farmers, artisans, employees and common man.
The Budget was ‘directionless’ and it is a ‘useless budget lacking any substance’. The Budget presented in the Lok Sabha was totally ‘hollow’, he said describing the budget as ‘jugglery of words’. The Centre’s focus was more on ‘patting its back’ rather than addressing the concern of the common man who was left in a state of disappointment.
The budget was ‘big zero’ for the agricultural sector and it promised no relief to handloom sector either as no mention was made about schemes for empowerment of weavers. It had disappointed employees and small businesses and it was unfortunate that the government did not take the initiative to effect changes in the income tax slabs.
The salaried class which waited anxiously for changes in income tax slabs were thoroughly disappointed as the government had not announced any measures in this direction. The Centre had neglected public health infrastructure and basic infrastructure as could be seen from the Budget presented in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday, he said.
At a time when development of health infrastructure had become paramount in the light of COVID-19 pandemic, it was painful that the Centre had not focused on any measures in that direction. “It is surprising to see that the Centre is least concerned about public health in spite of the pandemic,” he said.
