Yog Raj Sharma
The North News
Shimla, February 5
Former Himachal Pradesh chief minister and Leader of the Opposition Jai Ram Thakur has described the Union Budget as one aligned with the vision of a “Developed India by 2047”, saying it is focused on long-term growth rather than short-term populism.
Speaking to reporters, Thakur said the budget, presented for the 13th time by the Narendra Modi-led government, prioritises infrastructure development and economic expansion. He said India has emerged as the world’s fourth-largest economy under Prime Minister Modi’s leadership and is moving forward with a growth rate of around seven per cent.
He highlighted sharp increases in capital expenditure, defence, agriculture, education, health and infrastructure spending compared with allocations during the previous UPA government. Thakur said capital expenditure had risen from ₹1.98 trillion in 2013–14 to over ₹12.2 trillion, while the defence budget had increased to ₹7.84 trillion.
According to him, allocations for agriculture, education, railways, healthcare, roads and highways, renewable energy and digital payments reflected broad-based growth. He said Himachal Pradesh would benefit from increased tax devolution, additional grants-in-aid and centrally sponsored schemes, including funding under MGNREGA and the Jal Jeevan Mission.
Thakur also criticised the state government over the delay in panchayat elections, a matter now before the Supreme Court. He said the High Court had earlier directed that elections be held by 30 April, and accused the state government of undermining democratic institutions by questioning judicial decisions.
Raising concerns over the state’s financial health, the former chief minister warned that the situation had deteriorated to the point where even salaries and pensions could be at risk in the future. He questioned the purpose of upcoming MLA priority meetings, saying development works had stalled in BJP-held constituencies and funds had not been released.
He said a meeting of the BJP MLAs would be held on Thursday evening in Shimla to decide whether party legislators would participate in the priority-setting meetings.
