The Union Budget presented by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in Parliament on Wednesday evoked mixed reactions in the Northeast.
Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi termed the Budget 2014-15 as “the most disappointing”. He said there was no indication of good days ( achche din ) for the common man in the budget, as the BJP’s much-trumpeted slogan during the Lok Sabha elections campaign claimed to usher in. Allocations Assam had got in the Budget could only be termed ‘peanuts’.
However, the Federation of Industries and Commerce of Northeast Region (FINER) has welcomed the budget, particularly the focus on national and State highways, venture capital for start-ups, increased outlays for skill development, the sports university in Manipur, boost to organic farming.
A statement issued by the FINER wished for measures for river Brahmaputra and its tributaries on the line of projects for Ganga river, establishment of institutions such as AIIMS, IIMs and steps to boost growth in the tea sector and at least one textile cluster.
The industry association felt that the Union Finance Minister should have addressed the concern in the matter of implementation of North East Industrial Investment Promotion Policy 2007, which would have sent a positive signal to investors.
Joydeep Baruah, Assistant Professor at Omeo Kumar Das Institute of Social Change and Development, Guwahati, a think tank, said the much awaited Budget of the Modi government had very little to offer for the Northeast, which can substantively contribute to the development of the region.
“The specific proposals announced for the region, include an agricultural research centre in Assam, a sports university in Manipur, Rs. 100 crore for organic farming to be promoted in the region, a dedicated 24x7 TV channel for the region and Rs. 1,000 crore for improving rail connectivity within the region. While the last could possibly be seen as a step of some worth to improve critical infrastructure in the region, the rest are more cosmetic than anything else,” said Dr Baruah. Adviser North East Students’ Oragnisation and All Assam Students’ Union Samujjal Bhattachariya welcoming the specific proposals for the Northeast region said those were not enough.
Dr. Bhattcharyya said that while the people of Assam were expecting the new government at the Centre to declare the twin problem of flood and erosion caused by the river Brahmaputra as national problems to turn the river into a blessing for Assam, the Budget was silent on the river Brahmaputra, while the Finance Minister proposed to allocate Rs. 2,037 crore to clean up the Ganga and set aside Rs. 4,200 crore for the Jal Marg Vikas project on river Ganga connecting Allahabad to Haldia over 1,620 km. He lamented that not a single textile cluster for the region had been announced.
