Andhra Pradesh - Visakhapatnam   

CPI (M) flays Budget

Visakhapatnam: The Communist Party of India (Marxist) has criticised the Budget-2008 of UPA Government introduced on Friday stating that it neglected the basic needs of education, health and employment.

In a statement here, CPI (M) district secretary Ch. Narasinga Rao noted that against the promised 6 per cent for education in the Common Minimum Programme (CMP), only 2.84 per cent was allocated, totally neglecting primary education. In the case of health it was only 1.39 per cent against the promised 3 per cent. As far as the national employment guarantee scheme, though the Government promised to extend it to half the number of districts, the allocations were only 20 per cent more, he pointed out. He welcomed IT limit hike to Rs.1.5 lakhs and increase in Anganwadi workers’ wages. However, the latter’s wages were less than minimum wages, he said.

The Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS) expressed its disappointment over the Budget-2008 resenting the Government’s failure to raise the Income Tax exemption limit for the working class to Rs.2.5 lakhs per annum which the BMS had proposed in the pre-budget consultation with the Finance Minister. Nor did the budget propose any methods or controls to peg with the rising prices and inflation. No concrete proposals had come forth for containing the deficit, said BMS district president K. Bhavani Shankarudu. Also, the Budget was aimed at coming elections but lacked vision and mission, he stated.

Former official of Indian Economic Service and president of Praja Spandana in the city, C.S. Rao described the budget as populist and one on expected lines. It was a victory of the Opposition which was crying for waiver of farm loans. “Now, the Rs.60,000 crore waiver to small and marginal farmers and 25 per cent rebate to big farmers is likely to reach Rs.1 lakh crores and banks may have to bear the burden.

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