Click to play videoNew Delhi: As India stares at a recession-like economic slowdown, the citizens had many hopes from the Interim Budget but none of them came true.
It was expected that the United Progressive Alliance Government would loosen its purse strings, especially for the social sector. But acting Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said he had neither the money, nor the mandate while presenting the Interim Budget in the Lok Sabha on Monday.
"I had some constitutional constraints. Within the framework of that whatever is possible I have done it," Mukherjee later said.
Mukherjee sounded almost apologetic and conceded that he had neither the money nor the mandate for any radical measures.
The Interim Budget came in the middle of alteast 5 lakh job losses, with industrial growth down by two per cent and agricultural growth also down to two per cent.
The times are tough and India is staring at recession. There is no sector that is secure and to say that this budget is a disappointed would be an understatement.
"What has it done? They (UPA Government) are in a state of denial as far as workers of this country are concerned," said Brinda Karat, Communist Party of India-Marxist Politburo member and Rajya Sabha MP, said.
After a tedious reminder of the achievements of UPA Government, Mukherjee finally came to social sector that will bear the brunt in the coming months and the one that has all the votes.
But the focus was on the achievement that was yesterday, instead of the crisis that is today.
The figures speak for themselves:
- Bharat Nirman: from Rs 31,280 crore to Rs 40,900 crore.
- NREGA from Rs 30,000 crore to Rs 30,100 crore.
- Sarva Sikshya Abhigyan remains unchanged at Rs 13,100 crores.
- National Rural Health Mission from Rs 12,050 crore to Rs 12,070 crore.
- Integrated Child Development Services Scheme: Rs 6,300 crore to Rs 6,705 crore.
- Mid Day Meal Scheme remains unchanged from Rs 8,000 crore last year to Rs 8,000 crore.
- A new programme, the Indira Gandhi National Widow's Pension Scheme in which all widows between 40 to 64 years of age will get a pension. It will cost Rs 200 crore.
However, barring Defence and the Social Sector, there was no manifest intent of benefiting any section.
Farmers, especially, had little to cheer.
"If you look at the kind of agricultural situation we have today, I think the stimulus package or the entire effort which is going to corporate unfortunately should have gone to agriculture," economist Devinder Sharma said.
"The BJP will have to come out with an alternative package which the government has not given saying we can handle this job loss and we can handle recession," former BJP MP Kirit Somaiya said.
Pranab Mukherjee said the hand of his party was with that of the aam aadmi but he also said that his hands were tied.
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