Budget has glaring regional imbalances: VS

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Opposition Leader V S Achuthanandan has slammed the revised budget for the current year presented by Finance Minister K M Mani in the Assembly on Friday as one that lacks regional balance. He told mediapersons here on Friday that regional imbalances in the budget have led to largescale resentment. Like the Governor’s address, the budget speech was full of redundant announcements made in political interests. The budget is loaded with announcements made by the previous government in a new way.However, it is great that the Finance Minister admitted that the exchequer was not emptied by the previous Government. Mani had admitted that there was a deposit of `1,963 crore in the treasury when the previous government’s tenure ended.Achuthanandan alleged that there was a move to sabotage the land reforms in the budget.The decision to use five per cent of plantation land for other purposes such as tourism was part of this move.Mani had tried to sabotage the land reforms through the Gift Deed Bill earlier.He alleged that there was a move to restrict the rice at Re-one-a-kg scheme to 20 lakh BPL families. As per the record of the State Government, there are 30 lakh BPL families in the state.He criticised the move to stop the scheme for depositing ` 10,000 to all children born after April 1 initiated by the previous LDF Government.Budget Retrograde: IsaacTHIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Former Finance Minister Thomas Isaac has termed the revised budget for the current year presented by Finance Minister K M Mani in the Assembly on Friday as an orthodox one which takes the state five years backward.Isaac, while talking to mediapersons here on Friday, asked Mani why didn’t he publish a white paper on the state’s financial status as he had promised while taking over as minister? Isaac termed the budget as one that catered to Kottayam and Malappuram districts only.Even Congress MLAs have grievances against the budget as there are regional imbalances, he said.On the allegation that the LDF Government had left behind a liability of Rs 1,184 crore, he said that the amount was to be paid to contractors once the ongoing construction works were completed.Mani’s claims on reducing the debts were a farce.