Team Herald
PANJIM: Expressing their complete displeasure over the government’s failure to introduce any new schemes for the people in the annual Budget, Congress on Thursday termed the Budget 2019-20 as “not a healthy” one.
Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar on Wednesday presented a revenue surplus budget pegged at Rs 455.20 crore. No new tax proposals or schemes were listed in the document.
Speaking to media persons, Leader of the Opposition Chandrakant Kavlekar said that the budget is focused towards just allocation of funds to departments with no specific schemes or plans. “Thrust is given to agriculture, IT, education but CM failed to specify as what it intends to do in these sectors,” he said.
Kavlekar said the people anxiously wait for the Budget to be presented with hope to see what is proposed for them. “For the two successive years, people of Goa are let down by the Budget as there is nothing for them,” he said.
The Leader of the Opposition said that last year, the CM fell ill right at the time of Budget session and hence, he was not in position to present a detailed budget. “But this time, if he cannot read, at least a detailed Budget should have been presented,” he added.
Congress MLA Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco termed the Budget as a “not healthy” one. “Budget document is something that will take the State forward but here, we see no detailed Budget. It is not a healthy Budget,” he said.
Lourenco said that Budget as a whole is not oriented towards the people. The MLA raised concerns over increasing spending on salaries and pensions while being limited towards development and revenue generation.
