By IANS,
Kolkata: West Bengal’s Left Front government Monday hailed the enhanced budgetary provision for health and family welfare and education but complained that there were no concrete measures for addressing the problems of price rise and unemployment.
“Our reaction to this budget is mixed. On one hand, there is enhanced provision for the health and family welfare and education. Special attention has been given to the 150th birth anniversary celebrations of Rabindranath Tagore.
“And there are also special grants for Aligarh Muslim University. These are positive steps,” state Finance Minister and noted economist Asim Dasgupta told mediapersons here after union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee presented the union budget in the Lok Sabha.
“(But) we also feel that price rise and unemployment issue has not been addressed properly as there are no concrete measures. The proposal for allowing foreign institutional investors in the spheres of mutual funds is a very risky proposal,” said Dasgupta, who has been holding charge of the state finance department since 1977.