hooda-calls-union-budget-discriminatory-towards-haryana

‘The budget is discriminatory towards Haryana, and failed to meet the expectations of a common man’, said the former Chief Minister and Leader of the Opposition Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Sunday, as he showed his disappointment, saying the state has been left empty-handed in the budget, while the common man, farmers, laborers, and villagers have received no relief.

 

Addressing the media, Hooda said, “Nothing has been done to provide relief from inflation, and no exemption has been given in income tax. While tax is being collected on cryptocurrency, the government is not clarifying whether it is considered legal or illegal.”

“Looking at the percentage of GDP spent on education, after the removal of the cess in 2002-03, the total expenditure was 2.3 percent, which has now decreased to only 1.1 percent—less than half. Similarly, in 2017, the target was to spend 2.5 percent of the GDP on health, but currently, it is below 1 percent. Budget cuts have been made in these sectors,” he cited.

 

“Farmers have been completely ignored in the budget. There is neither any provision for loan waiver nor any arrangement to fix the Minimum Support Price (MSP) according to the recommendations of the Swaminathan Commission. Farmers are already in distress, but the central government has not paid any attention to their plight,” he then highlights.

He said revenue expenditure decreased by Rs 75,168 crore, while capital expenditure saw massive cuts — Rs 25,335 crore at the central level and Rs 1,19,041 crore at the state level.

 

Further speaking on MGNREGA, he warned that preparations are underway to dismantle the scheme, adding that it would be a direct attack on the rights of Dalits, backward classes, and rural people, as this scheme is a major support system for rural employment and poverty alleviation.

“The common man is struggling with inflation, unemployment, and economic crisis, but the central government has only paid lip service. This budget has been prepared by ignoring the interests of Haryana and the entire country,” he added.