PTI
New Delhi
Opposition Wednesday attacked the government in the Lok Sabha for diluting or doing away with people-oriented programmes and policies like the rights to information, food and work, and reducing allocations on them.
They also accused the government of having no roadmap for bringing in the GST Bill, recovering the mounting bad loans or expanding the tax base by bringing rich farmers under the tax net and said the nation now wanted “a full-time Finance Minister and not a multi-tasking” one.
“I think the time has come that the nation wants a full- time Finance Minister and not a multi-tasking one ... You need to take reform measures to boost growth,” senior Congress leader Veerappa Moily said while initiating the debate on the Finance Bill 2016.
Referring to measures like Right to Information, Right to Food and Right to Work taken by the UPA I and II governments, he said the previous government has not given any bad legacy.
“You (NDA government) say you got bad legacy. You are going to sink, if you demolish these people-oriented programmes.” TMC members attacked the government on issues ranging from the jewellers strike and EPF and pension issues and said it had lost an opportunity to expand the tax base by including rich farmers, while BJD said the government was not taking steps to curtail illicit money.
Criticising the budget proposals, Moily said none of the measures including the GST were implemented by this government. “No road map has been prepared for the GST and you are not serious about it. You are not going to achieve anything,” he said.
“On the resources side, on reform side, it is a failed budget. 'Make in India' is the biggest casualty in this Budget. Where is the result, where is the delivery,” he asked.
Maintaining that the situation of banks was getting worse, he said the non-performing assets (NPAs) or bad loans were increasing and banks were not in a position to lend.
“Have you taken any measure to ring fence from the danger,” he said, adding the government is not giving right facts to the people of this country. “You have no audacity to recover (the money). You are only sleeping. You have totally demoralised it,” Moily said.
“You say that within five years, farmers income will double. Agriculture sector is growing at about 1 per cent. Is it possible at all. Specific road map should come on how you are going to achieve this,” the Congress leader said.
On black money, Moily said the disclosures and gross tax collection were lower than during the previous government and “you say it is a bad legacy”.
“You said you will deposit Rs 15 lakh in bank accounts.
This is not going to happen...it was only 'jumla' (empty statement),” he said.
Speaking on corruption, the Congress leader said the UPA government passed the Lokpal bill and “now it is in limbo”.
The Congress leader also demanded details on the Panama papers have come saying the government must present the details on this issue as well as on black money.
Moily also accused the government of misleading the House that it has given highest allocation to the MGNREGA and said the erstwhile UPA government has extended the highest amount for this major people-oriented programme.
“21 states are still waiting for money. It is a demand- driven programme. You are trying to scuttle this programme. Do not do that,” the former minister warned.
In programmes like Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana and Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana (PMKSJ), no progress have been made by the government. “You are only tweaking the old schemes...PMKSJ is just a name change of the previous government's programme,” he said.
On the oil and gas sector, the former oil minister said the crude oil prices have down but consumers have not been benefited. In the Tapi pipeline and the three strategic reserves, there has been no progress till date.
“We built that Orissa refinery. 95 per cent work was over and due to some damage, we delayed the inauguration. The Prime Minister now says it is the achievement of NDA...and you say it is a bad inheritance. We are not hungry and thirsty for cheap publicity,” Moily said.
The maximum power capacity was created by the previous government and “you are not able to encash on that capacity”.
Saugata Roy (TMC) raised the issue of jewellers strike and said the government cannot run the economy with “rigidity”. On the other hand, it relaxed terms when there was a protest over the EPF norms, he said.
Noting the low percentage of direct tax compared to indirect tax, he said the government with such a huge mandate has lost an opportunity to reform the tax regime. While there are only four crore tax payers, rich farmers are not being brought under the tax net to widen the tax base, he said.
Roy said he also agreed with the 'fair and lovely' comment by Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi the way the government was working.
B Mahtab (BJD) also raised the issue of larger portion of indirect taxes in revenue generation from direct taxes said as such a move is “regressive”. He said while the government is focussing on bringing back black money, it should also work on curbing illicit money.
