Delhi Congress Critiques BJP Government's First Budget
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Synopsis
On March 25, Delhi Congress President Devender Yadav criticized the BJP government's maiden Budget as disappointing, highlighting a decrease in capital expenditure and insufficient allocations for essential welfare programs for women.
Key Takeaways
- Delhi Congress calls Budget 'disappointing'
- Capital expenditure reduced to 28%
- Only Rs 5,100 crore for women's honorarium
- Taxpayer contribution of Rs 9,950 crore noted
- Budget lacks fulfillment of BJP manifesto promises
New Delhi, March 25 (NationPress) Describing the initial Budget of Delhi's BJP administration as “disappointing”, Delhi Congress President Devender Yadav criticized its reduction of capital expenditure to 28 percent of the total budget. In contrast, the Congress government had allocated 34.3 percent for capital expenditure in the 2013-14 budget.
During the Assembly session, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta presented a Rs 1 lakh crore budget, which includes a mere Rs 5,100 crore allocation for the monthly honorarium of Rs 2,500 promised to each woman.
“This amount is insufficient to meet the expectations of approximately 44 lakh women voters in the Capital,” Yadav stated.
According to him, despite the Chief Minister's announcement of a Rs 1 lakh crore budget, it is important to note that Rs 9,950 crore will be sourced from taxpayer contributions to support the BJP's welfare initiatives.
Yadav further claimed that while the Chief Minister presents this Budget as being “guided by the principles of B.R. Ambedkar, Mahatma Gandhi, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas,” in reality, it is built on false promises to mislead the citizens of Delhi.
He remarked that the Delhi Budget demonstrates that the BJP government at the Centre is treating the residents of Delhi in a step-motherly manner, receiving only Rs 4,391.94 crore in grants previously. Although the Rekha Gupta government hopes for an increase to Rs 7,348 crore, there was no reference to this grant in the latest Union Budget.
Yadav pointed out that the BJP manifesto had also pledged free cooking gas cylinders for households during Holi and Diwali, and subsidized cooking gas cylinders at Rs 500, but this commitment has proved to be hollow as it was not addressed in the Budget.
