Maharashtra ignored in budget, says Shiv Sena

Participating in the resumed debate on Union Budget, Gajanan C Kirtikar of Shiv Sena said Maharashtra is the highest taxing state in the country and despite this, it has been ignored in the Budget.

There was no mention of Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train or Mumbai suburban rail in the Budget, he added.

Kirtikar said despite having a large tribal population in the state, Maharashtra was not included in the list of Tribal Museum, declared in the Budget.

Demanding an allocation of Rs 300 crore for mangrove protection in Maharashtra, the SS member said the amount announced by the Central Government last year to help the flood-affected people, should be given to the state government at the earliest.

He also demanded insurance of Rs three lakh and Rs seven lakh to build houses for the fishermen.

The Shiv Sena lawmaker said unemployment is the biggest problem in the country and maintained that 22 lakh government posts were lying vacant.

Despite this, no provision has been made in the budget to reduce unemployment, he added.

He said the goal of doubling farmers' income by 2022 and an economy of USD five trillion by 2024 is ambitious and it will not be possible to achieve it. To double the farmers' income by 2022, the agricultural growth rate of 18 per cent will be required, while it is currently at two per cent.

Similarly, the goal of USD five trillion economy at present growth rate of five per cent, will also not be met, he maintained.

Image credit : UNI