Oppn slams ‘directionless’ budget

“There is no allocation for the Hills (Darjeeling hills) and for the department of Paschimanchal development which caters to backward areas,” Mishra said.

The proposed increase in the lower and upper rates of value added tax (VAT) would lead to inflation,he said. The state government has proposed to increase both the lower and upper rates of VAT by 1 per cent.

“None of the burning issues before the state government has been addressed,” Mishra said,adding that the finance minister’s job had been only to include the “ad hoc” announcements made by the chief minister in the budget proposals.

The state government has set a record in borrowing from the market and will be not be able contain the revenue deficit within the limit prescribed by the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management Act,2003,he said.

On the government’s claim of having provided employment to 10 lakh people,Mishra said the budget did not reflect how many people had got a job by March 2013.

Leader of Congress Legislature Party in the Assembly Mohd Sohrab said the state government was making claims about creating jobs but was unable to give any details about employment.

“The unemployment allowance introduced by the state government was meant for the benefit of Trinamool Congress workers,” he alleged. He also said the budget was full of “hollow promises meant to confuse the people”.

The Congress said that the budget document claimed that proposals of investment worth Rs 1.12 lakh crore had been made but was mum on how many of these proposals had been realised.

It also took strong exception to Mitra’s remarks that “nothing has come out” of the meetings with the Centre regarding a way out from the “debt trap” even as the Centre had pledged Rs 50,000 crore to help the Eurozone come out of a financial crisis.

“The finance minister has crossed his limit by criticising the Centre for a measure taken as part of the country’s international policy,” Congress MLA Manas Bhunia said.

Panchayat poll allocation doubled

The cash-strapped state government has decided to increase the budgetary allocation for the upcoming panchayat elections to Rs 208 crore — almost double the amount allocated during the last panchayat election.

Sources in the State Election Commission said that in the 2008 panchyat poll,the state government had decided to spent Rs 120 crore for a three-phase election. This year the budget proposal has increased the amount to Rs 208 crore. Already the state government has given Rs 1 crore to the State Election Commission.

The decision is expected to increase the burden on the state exchequer.

This year special training will be given to poll officials. Beside,the State Election Commission will install CCTV cameras in certain sensitive booths. Food arrangements,and movements of the poll officers will be financed from the state poll budget.

The SEC has started the ground work by sending senior officers to sensitive areas in Junglemahal area of West Midnapore,Bankura and Birbhum to assess the situation there.

A senior election official said,“Apprehending large-scale violence in the panchyat election,the State Election Commission has decided to provide additional manpower in all the 59,000 polling booths. The accommodation,food and lodging will be provided by the SEC.”