‘Union Budget failed to meet expectations of farmers, women and public’

Congress leader Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said the Union budget failed to meet the expectations of farmers, women and people at large.

“I did not have much expectations from this budget but the country’s farmers, women, and the general public were expecting more. Their expectation has gone in vain,” Siddaramaiah, who is Leader of Opposition in the Karnataka Assembly, said reacting to the Union budget presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

The Congress leader said he had expected announcements of some special programmes to promote health, education and agriculture in particular which “did not happen”.

According to Siddaramaiah, a budget should be something that addresses problems such as hunger, poverty, unemployment but there were no signs of any steps taken in this direction.

Accusing the government at the Centre of being pro-corporate, he said the reduction in taxes on corporate bodies will result in more taxes on ordinary citizens.

Siddaramaiah pointed out that the budget estimates that GDP growth will slow down over the next year from 9.2 per cent to eight per cent.

The subsidy money for farmers’ fertilisers was 1.40 lakh crore this year which has been reduced to 1.05 lakh crore in the next fiscal, Siddaramaiah said. He predicted that this will increase the cost of fertiliser.

Speaking about Bengaluru, he said there was no allocation for the much-awaited suburban railway project in the city.

Siddaramaiah also charged the Basavaraj Bommai government in Karnataka with failing to bring grants to the State.