Senior PDP leader and district coordinator for Baramulla, Altaf Malik, who was the party’s contested candidate from Rafiabad, slammed the budget presented by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s government, terming it “visionless” and a mere “copy-paste” exercise of the central budget with no tangible relief for the people of Jammu and Kashmir.

 

In a hard-hitting statement issued here, Malik alleged that the budget has yet again “ignored the vital backbone sectors” of the Union Territory’s economy, including agriculture, horticulture, tourism, handicrafts, and transport. He said the document exhibits a “complete lack of planning and a concrete job creation policy,” leaving the youth in the lurch.

 

Highlighting the plight of thousands of temporary employees, Malik came down heavily on the elected government for its “failure to regularise” daily wagers, casual labourers, need-based workers, and other temporary staff, including Asha workers, Anganwadi employees, Gram Rozgar Sahayaks (GRS), and those under schemes like SBM and NYK.Click Here To Follow Our WhatsApp Channel

 

“Despite repeated assurances from the Omar Abdullah-led government, the decades-old pending issues of these employees remain unaddressed in this budget. This betrayal raises serious questions about the government’s priorities,” Malik stated.

 

He further questioned the allocation of resources, alleging, “Funds seem to be readily available for the purchase of new vehicles and salary hikes for the honourable MLAs, but no funds can be found to secure the livelihoods of those who serve the public at the grassroots.”

 

The PDP leader asserted that the budget for 2026-27 offers “nothing new” for the people of Jammu and Kashmir and fails to provide any roadmap for economic revival or addressing the soaring unemployment crisis.

 

The criticism from the main opposition party sets the stage for a heated debate on the budget in the coming days, with the government expected to defend its allocations and policy direction. (KNS)