The budget presented by Finance Minister Yanamala Ramarksihnudu in State Assembly was not at all pro poor or people-friendly and it would rather benefit the corporate houses and businessmen, CPI (M) State secretary P. Madhu said here on Friday.
Addressing media persons, he said the budget had nothing for the backward districts in north coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema region.
“Earlier, in the last two years, the government had allocated ₹. 50 crore for each of the backward districts that were earmarked as backward out of the 13 districts in the bifurcation Act. But this year even that was withdrawn,” he said.
“We demand that this issue be raised in Assembly and the government should immediately act on it,” he said.
Mr. Madhu also said the Governor’s statementthat both Parliament and Assembly elections should be held simultaneously was against the spirit of democracy. “By chance TDP loses majority in the Assembly tomorrow, and going by the Governor’s statement, bureaucracy will hold forte till the next Parliament elections and Assembly election will not be held till such time, was against the basic tenet of democracy,” he said.
According to Mr. Madhu, the law order situation such as imposing Police Act wherever an issue was taken up by the people, was also not in tune with the democratic process. “You cannot stifle the voice of people by using brute force,” the CPI(M) leader said.
He was also critical of meagre allocation towards stipend for unemployed youth. “In the election manifesto, Mr. Chandrababu Naidu had promised ₹. 2,000 per month as stipend to unemployed youth and in the last two years he had not paid a single rupee to anyone and in this budget the FM announced the sanction of ₹. 500 cr. This will be barely sufficient to pay ₹ 120 per month to each of the unemployed youth in the State,” he said.
Mr. Madhu said loan waiver for farmers and DWCRA women was yet to gain the desired momentum and allocation of ₹. 400 crore as seed money for DWCRA entrepreneurs was hardly enough.
