By News Agency of kashmir
Jammu : Terming the annual budget presented by coalition government as anti-unemployed youth, unrealistic and presumptuous leader of opposition Abdul Rehim Rather today said that frustration was all visible from the speech of Finance Minsiter Tariq Hameed Qarra in the state Legislative Assembly.
Talking to the media persons, the former finance minister Abdul Rehim Rather said that the finance minister was frustrated and “His frustration was observed by his speech wherein he referred the previous regimes every where”.
“Go through the records of the budget speeches of last fifty years and you will not find any finance minister’s reference to previous regimes”, he said.
He said coalition government’s budget has shown two things prominently; one inflation in income and other less expenditure, even in revenue side.
He said that the people of the state have to bear the direct loss due to the policies of the coalition government which has suffering from `Zero Deficit Budget Fever’. “Coalition Ko Zero Deficit Ka Boot Sawar Ho Gaya Hai”.
“There are bills worth Rs 500 crores pending in the treasuries across the state and even the GP fund of the employees was not paid due to the poor financial condition of the government”.
Economy of the state, Rather said, was 75% dependent on Agricultural production and this sector has been ignored by the government.
“People of rural areas are dependent on this sector and they were waiting for a mention in finance minister’s budget speech and even planning commission has been particular for boosting of Agriculture production”, he said.
He said that a passing reference was heard in horticulture marketing sector and the same was done to benefit few people.
Rather said that the un-employed youth – to whom promises were made by the coalition alliance – were totally ignored as no mention has been made to tackle the problem.
Referring the budget speech of former finance minister Muzaffar Hussian Baig, Rather said that government has spent Rs 35000 crores in three years, which it (government) failed to identify where the amount has been spent.
He said let the finance minister explain as how the people of the state have been benefited out of the money government has spent. “Budget has only figures but no mention has been made about the schemes undertaken and the physical targets achieved from it”.
Referring to the public sectors, Rather said that there is no mention as how the government is going to tackle the problem of the public sectors, employees of which are seen on roads with the demand of salary.
He said COLA was far off even salary and wages are not being paid to these employees.
“We will analyze the Budget speech”, he said while assuring that he will discuss every loophole in the speech.