PANAJI
People-oriented and ‘Sab ka Sath’ budget is how Chief Minister Pramod Sawant hailed the Union Budget presented to Parliament on Wednesday by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
“This budget resonates with the aim Sabka Sath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas and Sabka Prayas,” Sawant said and congratulated Sitharaman for taking the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi ahead.
Referring to the specific measures outlined by Sitharaman in her budget speech, Sawant said it had covered aspirations of the country’s farmers, marginalised sector, youth, MSMEs, OBCs, women entrepreneurs and also the salaried class.
“It has also laid a great emphasis on green-growth, startups and local manufacturing sectors,” Sawant said.
Expectedly, Opposition party leaders were critical of the budget and picked holes in it.
Leader of Opposition, Yuri Alemao, termed it a “Mitra Kaal” budget where everything was for rich and might friends.
“A ‘Mitra-Kaal’ Budget: Nothing for Poor, Nothing for Unemployed Youth, Nothing to control Inflation. Everything for rich & might Friends! Jo Vaada Kiya Vo Nibhana Padega!” Alemao said in a tweet.
Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) Benaulim MLA, Venzy Viegas, said it was a disappointing budget overall as there was nothing of note to help average citizens navigate high inflation and prices.
“Citizens left to fend for themselves against inflation/ price rise. Health, edu, food & PDS budgets slashed. Job creation measures absent,” a tweet by Viegas said, adding that overall it was a very disappointing budget.
Viegas also raised concern regarding the over Rs 5K-plus crore allocation made for Karnataka which goes to the polls this year specifically for irrigation and drinking water works in the context of the neighbouring State’s plans to divert Mhadei river waters.
“Rs 5K-plus crore gifted to K’taka for Irrig & drinking water works is death knell for #Mhadei & #Goa,” Viegas’ tweet said.
The Goa Forward Party (GFP) has lamented that there was nothing for Goa in the Budget, pointing out that fixing borrowing limits for States in the next fiscal at only 3.5% of GSDP will hurt the State financially.
“Goa is already facing a bigger fiscal deficit due to the massive fiscal mismanagement of Pramod Sawant government, and to add to our woes, nothing quantifiable has been granted to Goa in this budget,” a GFP statement said.
“If promotion of coastal shipping for energy efficient transportation is being proposed, then why destroy the forests and wildlife and local habitats of Goa for double tracking of railways? Why not use the sea route to transport your coal?” the statement said, adding that under tourism it is unclear that Goa will be in the fifty sites to be selected for development as tourism destinations.
“Will Dr Pramod Sawant fight for at least ten sites in Goa for this tourism package? Or will he have no opinion, and surrender to the union government like he did on Mhadei?,” the party led by Vijai Sardesai said.
