Himachal Budget Criticized by BJP Leader - Jai Ram Thakur

Shimla, Feb 17 (PTI) Senior BJP leader Jai Ram Thakur on Saturday said the budget presented by Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu is an "attempt to misguide" people of the state by "telling lies" and claimed it has provided no relief to any section of society.

Nothing has been done on 95 per cent of the schemes announced in the last budget and yet new schemes have been announced, said the leader of opposition in the Himachal Assembly.

"The people of the state have lost faith in the Congress government which failed to fulfil its poll guarantees promised in the 2022 assembly elections," Thakur said in a video as he was in New Delhi.

It is surprising that there is no mention of guarantees promised by the Congress in the budget, he added.

Earlier, CM Sukhu presented the annual Budget of Rs 58,444 crore for 2024-25 with focus on the agriculture sector, and announced an increase in the minimum support price (MSP) for milk.

Dubbing the budget as "disappointing", Himachal BJP chief Rajiv Bindal said that the capital expenditure has been reduced from Rs 6,780 crore in 2023-24 to Rs 6,280 crore in 2024-25 and reducing the budget for infrastructural development raises questions.

Thakur said the state government has taken a loan of Rs 14,000 crore in the past 14 months, adding that just announcing a relief package is not enough until it reaches the victim and is implemented. "The truth is that relief has been given to only selected people".

Unemployed youths, outsourced staff and employees of the Himachal Road Transport Corporation and the Electricity Board are sitting on dharna for release of their salaries, while development has come to a standstill under the Congress government, he claimed.