Eye on polls, Maya govt offers tax-free budget

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Apparently with an eye on the state Assembly elections due next year, the Mayawati government on Tuesday presented a tax-free budget of `1,69,416.38 crores for the financial year 2011-12.

The budget size is 10.6 per cent higher than the current fiscal year and has a provision of `5,153 crores has been made for meeting the fresh expenditure demand.
Presenting the budget in the state Assembly, UP finance minister Lalji Varma said that the estimated the total receipts during the next fiscal touch `1,66,012.86 crores, which include `1,31,428.7 crores of revenue and `34,584.16 crores in the form of capital receipts.
Against total receipts, an expenditure of `1, 69, 416.38 crores is estimated, he said.
The budget, however, has nothing new to offer to the people of the state though care has been taken to consolidate the traditional voters of the ruling BSP.
A provision of `9,722 crores has been made for the scheduled castes under special component plan which is 6.8 per cent higher than those allotted during the current fiscal.
For the scholarship to minorities, the state government has set aside a sum of `6 crores while a sum of `259 crores has been earmarked for physically disabled persons.
For the integrated development of Lucknow, the Mayawati government has kept aside a sum of `564 crores in the budget while a sum of `122 crores has been earmarked for maintenance of parks and memorials built by the state government.
The budget seeks a sum of `291 crores for the development of Purvanchal region and `109 crores for the development of Bundelkhand region. Special schemes in the Bundelkhand region will get an additional `1,200 crores.
The Opposition, however, slammed the budget and termed it as directionless and unimaginative.
Congress Legislature Party leader Pramod Tiwari said that the budget would be the proverbial “last nail in the government’s coffin”.
“It is directionless and lacks vision. There is no announcement of any new power project and or any major developmental schemes. The government does not say how it plans to deal with the deficit of `18, 959.66 crores. Majority of the welfare schemes mentioned in the budget are those that are funded by the centre under different names,” he told reporters.