Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin said on Wednesday that the Union Budget had created an impression that it was presented for the development of the BJP-ruled States, especially those that are going to polls this year.
In a statement, he said that as usual, the Budget was a great disappointment for the people of Tamil Nadu. “There is no allocation even for the AIIMS in Madurai. The Budget has failed to address the issue of unemployment and inflation and has not offered any constructive measures for fiscal federalism. It is not offering any hope to the people on the margins and the middle class,” he said.
Mr. Stalin said that though it had created the impression that there were new schemes, it was regrettable that there was no separate fund for the schemes in the Budget presented by the Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
He said that though there were some welcome announcements, such as changes in the income tax slabs and the creation of nursing colleges at 157 medical colleges, in reality the changes in the income tax slabs would benefit only those migrating to the new tax regime. “It should be applicable to the old regime also,” he said.
