Thiruvananthapuram: State Finance Minister K N Balagopal termed the union budget ‘a survival act’ by the third Narendra Modi-led government, accusing it of favouring certain regions while ignoring the rest of the country. The CPM minister echoed the opposition’s criticism that the Union budget has favoured Bihar and Andhra Pradesh – ruled by BJP’s crucial allies JD(U) and TDP respectively -- at the cost of other states.
''This is a budget meant for the future and survival of Modi government. Modi came to Kerala seven times during election campaign and it was said that Kerala would get a lot if BJP opens account here. Now Nirmala Sitharaman has closed Kerala’s account,'' he said.
Modi government doesn’t have any right to speak about cooperative federalism. It has allocated the total resources of the country only for the benefit of a few regions, Balagopal said. He added that the Vizhinjam International port, inaugurated recently, did not find any mention in the budget and Kerala’s long-pending demand for an All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS) was neglected yet again.
Going into numbers, Balagopal said the budget has cut down allocations for key areas significantly. He drew a comparison between the allocations in the 2022-23 budget and the current financial document. ''In 2022-23, allocation for food subsidy was Rs 2,72,000 cr, now it has come own to Rs 2,05,250 cr. Fertiliser subsidy was Rs 2,51,000 cr, and now only Rs 1,64,000 cr. In 2022-23, MGNREGA allocation was Rs 90,806 cr and it has come down to Rs 86,000 cr,” he said. He said though the budget makes tall claims of job generation, there is no mention of the over 10 lakh posts lying vacant in the central government.