It is visionless, says TMC’s Amit Mitra

Terming the Union Budget as visionless, West Bengal Finance Minister Amit Mitra said that there is nothing new in the Budget for the common man.

 The minister added that there is a need to go through the Budget properly, but initially it seems to be directionless. “There is no scope of reform, and at the same time, it will not serve the interest of the common people,” Mitra said at a press conference in Nabanna on Monday.

“There is nothing for West Bengal in the Budget,” he said, adding that it is not at all people-centric.

State Panchayat Minister Subrata Mukherjee alleged that West Bengal has been neglected in Budget purposely. “Hike in the price of coal has been proposed and it will badly affect the life of people as the rates of other essential goods will also go up,” he said. Mukherjee raised apprehension that the rise in coal prices may make power costlier in the near future.

Moreover, most Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders described the Budget as ‘hopeless’. They said that there is nothing in the Budget that will be of much benefit to people.

Stating that despite placing certain good proposals, there is no clear vision on the creation of jobs, leaders of the party said. Youngsters, who are the backbone of the country, will also be deprived, they added.

Rural electrification in West Bengal has already been achieved, while as per Monday’s Budget rural electrification at the national level will be completed by 2018. At the same time, no such tax reforms have been brought that will be of benefit to the middle-class people.