CHENNAI: Opposition leaders on Thursday criticised the budget stating that it did not have schemes for industrial development and job generation, besides faulting it for non-implementation of major election promises and huge debt burden. Leader of Opposition M.K. Stalin said the government had a huge debt of over Rs 2.5 lakh crore and there is no word on inter-linking of rivers. He said no steps had been announced to generate employment and for the betterment of farmers, teachers, farmers and milk producers.
PMK founder S. Ramadoss said the budget deficit is very high and the state will have to pay an interest of Rs 21,215 crore as the debt would go on increasing. This would not be good for the growth of the state and there would be no funds to spend on development schemes. DMDK founder Vijayakanth said there are no schemes to take the state along the path of development and added that the government should implement the schemes announced by it as most of them were remaining on paper.
MDMK general secretary Vaiko said no time frame had been fixed to introduce prohibition and the education loans of students had not been waived as per election promise. With over 85 lakh youth remaining unemployed, there is no scheme to generate jobs and the investments which had been brought to the state so far is only Rs 23,000 crore. The AIADMK government’s first budget after winning the Assembly polls in May, allocating funds generously for certain departments but ignoring many departments has belied the expectations of the people, according to BJP state president Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan.
CPM state secretary G. Ramakrishnan said, “Allocation for education is less than two per cent of the GSDP and for health it is a meagre 0.66 per cent. He also there was no proposal in the budget for the government take over of sand and granite mining. The budget intends to implement the neo-liberal economic policy which is against the people”. CPI state secretary R. Mutharasan said it is a disappointing budget. VCK leader Thol. Thirumavalavan said no schemes had been announced for the upliftment of Dalits, women and tribal people.
