Srinagar, Feb 02 (KNS): Senior CPM leader and Former MLA Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami on Sunday said the Budget presented by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is disappointing for the people of Jammu and Kashmir as there is no concrete plan in it to revive the shattered economy of the erstwhile state.
In a statement issued to KNS he said the BJP government has been talking loudly about development in Jammu and Kashmir. But the allocation and the mention in the Budget itself does not say anything about mission development. There is no policy statement in the Budget. We need something specific in the Budget and unfortunately, it is the most disappointing Budget for the people of J&K.
Rs 30,757 crore allocation for J&K in 2020-21 budget sounds like a mystery. Whole businesses in J&K have been shattered post abrogation of Article 370 last August and there is no mention in reviving it and to assist those who suffered huge losses. According to a recent report of Chamber of Commerce and Industry, disruption since August has resulted in loss of jobs of 1.44 lakh of people while economy has suffered losses worth Rs 17,878 crore.
Providing employment to the youth has become a chronic issue at the national level and much more so in J&K as it lacks any private sector.Click Here To Follow Our WhatsApp ChannelThe unemployment level in J&K has reached to crescendo. But instead of finding ways and means to provide employment, clampdown on internet services and restrictions resulted in huge job losses in Kashmir.
Horticulture in Kashmir and agriculture in Jammu suffered massive losses due to heavy snowfall in the Valley in November and rainfall in Jammu? Not only the fruit, but the fruit bearing trees got destroyed in snowfall. There is no mention of that or any sort of expression to compensate this sector.
There is no mention about Anganwari workers, helpers, ASHA workers and other scheme workers in the Budget. Some of them are without wages for months together.
Similarly there is no mention of road and railway connectivity. How many decades will it take further to connect Kashmir with rest of the country by a dependable road or rail link. The BJP government which is in power for the last six years has failed to speed up work on the problematic Ramban-Ramsu axis on the Jammu-Srinagar national highway, which frequently needs to be closed due to landslides.
People in Kashmir during winters and people in Jammu during summers face worst power cuts. But there is no mention of power sector in the Budget. The Centre talks about large scale investment but no one is going to invest when there is no electricity.
People are eking out a tough existence in Kashmir. Daily wagers are not able to find work to feed their families. Thousands of businesses can’t pay their staff or keep them on their rolls. Shikara-walas of Dal Lake, pony-walas of Gulmarg and Pahalgam, handicraft sellers and hoteliers, their staff and their suppliers are facing worst crisis since last August. But government is least bothered about the sufferings of people. (KNS).