Opposition accuses govt of slashing budget on social schemes

New Delhi: Opposition in Lok Sabha today accused the government of slashing expenditure on various social sector schemes, cutting food and fertiliser subsidies and burdening the common man through the latest budget by doing nothing to check rising prices.

They were also critical of the government on the black money issue saying the common man has got nothing despite the Prime Minister promising Rs 15 lakh in their accounts sooner than later by bringing back the black money stashed abroad.

Initiating the debate on general budget, Congress member Shashi Tharoor took a dig at the government for its failure to bring back black money stashed abroad, saying "only Rs 30 per person has been collected as against the promise of Rs 15 lakh for each bank account holders."

People are still waiting to get Rs 15 lakh in their bank accounts but some senior BJP leader now say that was only a 'political jumla (phrase)', he said.

Terming the budget as "political budget which is not for common man", Tharoor cited examples to say that even Sub-Saharan Africa spent 7 per cent on health and education while India has allocated just 4 per cent for this. The allocation for Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan has also been cut, he said.

While the funds for Nirbhaya Fund has been slashed from Rs 1,000 crore to Rs 500 crore, the government has cut food subsidy by Rs 5,000 crore, fertiliser subsidy by Rs 2,000 crore, besides the allocations to education and to the Ministry of Minority Affairs.

"Prime Minister said Budget is an exam. I would say he must try harder. PM Mann Ki Baat Karte hai, Finance Minister Dhan ki Baat Karte hai, Par Ye sarkar Jan ki baat kab karegi (when will government talk about common man when PM talks 'Mann ki Baat' and FM talks about finances)," he said.

He said the Budget has increased burden on the 'aam aadmi' by levying more cess in the form of Krishi Kalyan Cess.

"In a bid to achieve ambitious growth (7 per cent) figure, the Finance Minister has burdened Aam Aadmi," he said.

"Government is talking about LPG gas connection. I hope the government leaves something in the hands of poor so that they can cook," he said.

Talking about inflation, he said, the government has failed to check spiralling prices of essential items. "Inflation has gone up so much for that pulses have become costlier than chicken," he said.

He also raised a question mark over the GDP target set by the government saying growth has slowed down in all the key sectors be it Index of Industrial Production or exports. Even corporate sector profitability has declined, he added.

There are challenges of oil price increase and monsoon failure, he said, adding that the fiscal deficit target of 3.5 per cent seems difficult given fiscal pressure due to 7th Pay Commission and decline in tax revenue.

Tharoor also said the government has missed disinvestments target last year and the year before. Against the disinvestment target of Rs 69,500 crore, only Rs 25,312 crore has been realised and again an ambitious target of Rs 56,000 crore has been set for this year.

On the declining value of rupee, he said, it has "now crossed Prime Minister's age."

He pointed out that there has been cut in expenditure of various ministries. Citing an example, he said the government merged Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs with Ministry of External Affairs and reduced the expenditure by Rs 420 crore and quipped that "the biggest challenge for External Affairs is not Pakistan but Finance Ministry."

Attacking the Modi government for terming stressed asset as a legacy issue, he said, the issue has reached this stage because the government has failed to acknowledge the policy suggestion by RBI on non-performing assets (NPA).

Defending the Budget, BJP member Nandkumar Singh Chauhan said it was one of the best 'pro-poor' budget since Independence and added the government will leave no stone unturned to take country on the path of development.

The Budget has announced many schemes for farmers including crop insurance and irrigation scheme to double farmers income in 5 years, he said, adding "Yeh to trailer hai, film dekhna bakhi hai (This is just the trailer, the film is yet to come)".

Soon after Chauhan completed his speech, Union Minister Jayant Sinha and many other BJP members walked up to his seat and were seen appreciating him.

TMC member Sugata Bose said agrarian crisis and electoral setbacks has made the government come out with a Budget where it does not look like "suit boot ki sarkar".

With the Budget, the government seems to be wearing a simple farmer's dress "but does the change in attire change the attitude," he wondered, saying "the shift in rhetoric has run far ahead than the shift in economy."

Noting that the budget does attempt a course correction, he said the discourse is a "binary between pro-rich versus pro-poor", adding that expectations of big bang reforms have ended with a whimper.

Bose said the budget was littered with "cesses and surcharges" and a clever way of circumventing recommendations of the 14th Finance Commission. "This violates the spirit of cooperative federalism," he said. Further, the levy on jewellery items in the Budget may adversely affect goldsmiths.