No measures in Union interim budget to energise economy: Kerala Finance Minister

Thiruvananthapuram, Feb 1 (PTI) Kerala Finance Minister K N Balagopal on Thursday said in the assembly that there is an economic recession in India, but there were no measures in the interim budget for 2024-25, presented by Union Finance Minister N Sitharaman, to address the issue.

Balagopal said that he saw the budget presentation and that the Union Minister only talked about last year's budget and nothing new.

"There is an economic recession in India. So, some measures to energise it by allocating funds to various sectors was expected. That was not there," he said.

He made the remarks while criticising the Congress-led UDF opposition for not discussing the shortcomings in the interim budget in the House.

"You (UDF) are always criticising things happening here, but not a word is said against them (Centre) here or in the Parliament," he said.

The remarks came during discussion on the Kerala State Goods and Services Tax (Amendment ) Bill, 2024 which aims to implement 28 per cent GST on online gaming. PTI