Jammu, Feb 01: The Jammu & Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) on Saturday said the Union Budget has ignored J&K in terms of the special focus needed to provide relief to the worst-affected people, especially the youth. The party said the budget focused more on Bihar and Delhi for political considerations.
Terming the budget as election-oriented, JKPCC said it has ignored the special attention required for a severely affected region like Jammu and Kashmir, where unemployment is at its peak, ranking as the second highest in the country.
“A large number of youth are working on meagre wages while awaiting job regularisation, with no other employment opportunities available,” JKPCC chief Tariq Hameed Karra said, adding that people are facing the worst-ever price escalation and unprecedented taxation of all sorts.
“The unemployed youth, facing frustration due to the absence of jobs in both the government and private sectors, required special attention from the Central government. However, the government has ignored the genuine concerns of J&K’s youth while focusing on Bihar and Delhi with an eye on the upcoming assembly elections,” he said.
Karra said that except for a long-overdue minor relief for the salaried class in income tax slabs, there is no relief for the middle class and poor, who are struggling with the worst-ever price hikes on essential daily-use items.
There is no effort to reduce the unprecedented taxes imposed on common-use items, leaving middle and lower-income groups struggling to meet their routine needs, he said. “No measures have been introduced to increase people’s income or savings by providing alternative earning opportunities, reducing taxes or offering concessions to the common people,” he said.
The former Deputy Chief Minister said the Modi government came to power promising two crore jobs annually. However, there has been no mention of how many jobs were provided over the past ten years or how many will be created for the record number of unemployed youth in the country, he said.
“Farmers were promised a legal guarantee of MSP and reforms in the Fasal Bima Yojana, but none of these commitments have been fulfilled,” he said.
Karra added, “The Modi government has waived loans worth over Rs 16 lakh crore for big bank defaulters but has not considered loan waivers for farmers or exemptions on agricultural equipment taxed under GST. The government should have provided more subsidies on seeds, fertilisers, and pesticides to help farmers, who are not receiving fair returns on their produce.”
The J&K Congress chief said the budget also failed to address the enhancement of honorariums for Anganwadi workers, helpers, ASHA workers, and other temporary employees. “It also did not provide special assistance for the welfare and regularisation of a large number of youth and women working on a casual, ad-hoc, or temporary basis in the struggling region of J&K,” he said.
