Deputy CM Sisodia Calls Union Budget 'Extremely Negative' For Delhi, Says It Betrays Farmers

 Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Tuesday said the Union Budget 2022-23 presented by the Modi government is "extremely negative" for the national capital and betrays the farmers of the country.

The central government not only reduced allocation for minimum support price (MSP) but also cut down the number of beneficiaries in the Budget. The government has also failed to double the income of farmers as was promised, he said.

Contrary to expectations that the government will raise the income tax limit, Sisodia said, the government did not provide any relief to the pandemic-hit middle class.

He further criticised the Budget for having no measures to boost health infrastructure during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sisodia, who is also the Delhi finance minister, alleged that the Budget is against the new education policy, which states that the government will increase expenditure on the sector. However, the allocation has been brought down from 2.64 per cent of the total outlay as compared to 2.67 per cent last year.

The overall financial allocation for the education sector for 2022-23 has increased to Rs 1.04 lakh crore from Rs 93,224 crore (Budget estimate) in 2021-22.

School education outlay for 2022-23 is at Rs 63,449.37 crore, nearly Rs 9,000 crore more than 2021-22.

The deputy chief minister said the Budget set aside Rs 69,421 crore for municipal corporations in the country but not a single penny has been given to Delhi's civic bodies.

Delhi's share in central taxes has remained Rs 325 crore for 21 years. The city government had sought that it be raised this time, he said, adding that the Budget is "extremely negative" for the national capital.