CM Gehlot calls Union Budget 'disappointing' for Rajasthan

JAIPUR: Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Wednesday termed the Budget 2023-24 a "disappointment" for Rajasthan saying many of their demands remained unfulfilled.

"People of the state are disappointed as the Centre is refusing our demand of according national status to ERCP, an important project related to the development of Rajasthan, he said.

"Only headline-making jumlas have been used in budget," he added.

Chief Minister Gehlot further termed it surprising that the allocation for the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act has reduced drastically in this year's Budget to Rs 60,000 crore.

This proves that this budget is anti-poor, landless farmers and anti-common people.

Several fake announcements related to agriculture and farmers' welfare have been made in this budget, but in the budget of the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, about 6 per cent (about Rs 7,500 crore) less amount has been provisioned than last year.

Similarly, there has been a significant reduction of 15 per cent (approximately Rs 23,000 crore) in the urea subsidy item as compared to last year.

Neglecting important areas like education, health, social justice and women and child development by the central government, there has been negligible increase in this budget as compared to previous years.

The whole country is suffering from inflation for the past years, the prices of flour, pulses, oil, soap etc., which are used by the common man on a daily basis, have increased a lot, due to which the life of the common man has become difficult.

In the absence of any policy statement regarding reducing inflation, the life of the common man will become even more difficult.

"Provision of additional assistance of Rs 5,300 crore to the state of Karnataka for the Upper Bhadra Project, keeping the elections in mind, shows the step-motherly treatment of the Modi government towards Rajasthan.

The people of the state will give a befitting reply to the Narendra Modi government when the time comes.