Thiruvananthapuram: As opposition parties intensify their attack against the Union Budget presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has also joined the fray by unleashing an all-out attack against the budget, calling it a ‘survival ploy’ for the central government. In a statement released on Tuesday, the CM said that the announcements made in the Union Budget seem politically motivated and are crucial for the government’s longevity.
“Many states, including Kerala, are being ignored in the budget. Though we do not oppose the announcements of development projects in specific states, we cannot accept the complete neglect of other states. This approach will hinder the progress of states like Kerala. It challenges the people of Kerala that the continuous demands regarding some important projects were completely disregarded,” he said.
“Our demands, including AIIMS, were not considered. The tourism and disaster management sectors were disregarded. There are some announcements related to the agrarian sector in the budget that should be implemented by the states. For this, states need to be financially empowered. If states are not financially supported, how can they implement these projects? Many states, including Kerala, have struggled to spend money on development projects following the strict borrowing limits imposed by the central government,” the CM said.
Since the introduction of GST, states have very limited unique tax powers. Efforts have been made in the budget to subject even those limited tax powers to conditions set by the center through centrally developed projects. This goes against the spirit of federalism, CM said.
“If we look at the budget, significant cuts can be seen in important central projects. For example, Rs 2,72,802 crore was allocated in 2022-23 under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana, but this time it’s only Rs 2,05,220 crore. Similarly, Rs 12,681 crore was allocated in 2022-23 under the Prime Minister Poshan Abhiyan, but it has been reduced to Rs 12,467 crore. In 2022-23, Rs 90,806 crore was allocated for the Mahatma Gandhi Employment Guarantee Scheme, but this time there’s only Rs 86,000 crore,” Pinarayi alleged. The indifferent approach of the central government towards Kerala is evident in the budget, the CM said.
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