Srinagar, Jan 15 (KNS): Senior National Conference leader and Former Finance Minister Ab Rahim Rather on Sunday termed this year’s budget presented by Finance Minister Dr Haseeb Drabu on January 11 as ‘misleading for the want of credibility’.
Accusing Finance Minister of having failed to keep promises made by him in his last two budgets two time Ex Finance Minister Rather told KNS “ Finance Minister last year promised return of power projects but Union Power Minister Piyush Goyal categorically ruled out the possibility of returning any power project to the state. Unfortunately neither the Chief Minister nor the Finance Minister had the courage to seek clarification from the union power minister on the return of power projects to the state”.
Questioning this year’s promise of regularizing 61,000 casual labours engaged in different departments from time to time, Rather said, “If Finance Minister is honest to his commitment of regularizing 61,000 casual labours working in different department then what is the purpose of constituting a committee under the chairmanship of the Chief Secretary which mandated to work on options only.Click Here To Follow Our WhatsApp Channel”
Saying that presentation of budget in January won’t alter the schedule set for the release of money from the central government, Rather said “Whether budget is presented in January or February it hardly matter as central government always releases money from April onwards. Former Chief Minister Gh Nabi Azad had also experimented the presentation of budget in January with the hope that money will be released before April to the state but no money was released before April as is the normal procedure and precedence.” (KNS)