Union Budget: Himachal ignored; special financial package needed, says CM Sukhu

Shimla, Jul 23 (PTI) Himachal Pradesh has been completely ignored and got nothing in the Union budget presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said on Tuesday.

The discrimination is clearly visible in the budget as the NDA allies in Bihar and Andhra Pradesh have been rewarded, but Himachal's legitimate claim for a special package for last year's monsoon disaster finds no mention in the budget, he said while talking to the media persons here, Sukhu said in a statement.

"The cessation of GST compensation has put Himachal Pradesh in a precarious financial position, resulting in an annual loss the state can't afford. A special financial package was urgently needed in the analogy of Bihar and Andhra Pradesh to mitigate this loss and support our state's fiscal stability," the chief minister said.

Terming the budget as anti-poor, inequitable and not futuristic, Sukhu said it is a total opportunistic budget and fails to address the critical issues of unemployment, rising prices, and growing inequality.

Sukhu highlighted several key areas of concern and called for immediate revisions to address the needs of the wider population and said that the Centre had again disappointed Himachal Pradesh by ignoring its long pending demands and the aspirations of the people.

He said the Himachal government had requested the Centre to release Rs. 9,042 crore as financial assistance following a post-disaster assessment carried out by a central team. It was expected that Himachal too, would be given direct assistance on the pattern of Assam, Sikkim and Uttarakhand.

Although an announcement has been made for assistance to cope with the losses due to the monsoon last year, there is no mention of how much aid we would get, he said.

Himachal which suffered major losses due to floods last year, would be assisted with multilateral development assistance, the Finance Minister had said during her budget speech.

Though the increase in the allocation for interest-free loans to states to Rs. 1.5 lakh crore from the existing allocation of Rs. 1.3 Lakh crore is a welcome measure, though the tough conditions attached to it do not favour small states like Himachal Pradesh due to cost disabilities.

He said the state had repeatedly raised its demands for financial assistance for road, air and rail connectivity, the industrial sector and various tourism schemes. It was unfortunate that none of them had been given any attention. The budget fails to address the issue of expansion of the rail network.

Sukhu said the state had urged to release a sum of Rs. 3,500 crore under capital investment for Kangra airport which was not only important from a tourism point of view but also for the defence of the nation. Despite strong recommendations, a special grant has also been denied.

He said that the Modi government had tried to appease its allies due to its political compulsions and save the image of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. There is also no reference to measures for the economic growth of the large population living in poverty and no mention of benefits or loan waivers for farmers.

The budget offers no measures to reduce the import duty on apples, which would have provided much-needed relief to the apple growers, he added. PTI