Agartala, Mar 22 (PTI) Terming the state budget for the financial year 2022-23 as “anti-people”, Leader of Opposition in the Tripura assembly Manik Sarkar on Tuesday said the BJP-led government has failed to fulfil aspirations of farmers and unemployed youths.
Speaking on the budget in the assembly, the former chief minister said the state’s market borrowings rose “significantly” during the Biplab Kumar Deb government, which is “not a good sign”.
“The budget has failed to fulfil aspirations of people. Farmers, working people and unemployed youths did not find any hope in the proposals,” Sarkar said.
Deputy Chief Minister Jishnu Dev Varma tabled a Rs 26,892.67-crore budget in the state assembly on March 18 without imposing any new tax.
Sarkar also said the state is “plunging into a debt trap gradually with a “quantum jump” of market borrowings.
“The market borrowings stand at Rs 10,340 crore during the 2018- 2022 period, which is not a good sign for the state. This was Rs 3,402.35 crore for corresponding years of the previous (Left Front) government,” he pointed out.
If the trend continues, the state will have to pay a heavy price for repayment of its debt, the former chief minister said, adding that fund flow to the development sector will get reduced.
“It is not a prudent fiscal management,” Sarkar said.
He also mentioned in the assembly that the introduction of Goods and Services Tax has snatched away the state’s power on tax collection.
“The Centre will not compensate the state(s) to bridge the revenue deficit after a certain period of time. The government will have to take care of the matter seriously,” he said.
In view of the global recession and the COVID-19 pandemic, achieving a 13.28 per cent growth in gross state domestic product seems “very difficult”, Sarkar said.
“There might be wrong calculation in regard to the GSDP projection,” he claimed.
While highlighting the unemployment problem in the state, the veteran CPI(M) leader said around 20,700 employees would retire in the five-year of the present government.
“Where is the fresh recruitment in the government sector? It must calculate vacancy position and go for hiring to fill up the vacancies”, he added. PTI PS BDC BDC
