JK Budget 2023-24 Fails To Address Unemployment, Poverty Alleviation: NC

SRINAGAR: National Conference (NC) on Tuesday said the budgetary allocations for J&K for the year 2023-2024 have failed to cater to the needs of people of J&K saying it has nothing substantial for J&K’s trade, industry and commerce.

In response to the budgetary allocations for J&K, the party’s state spokesperson, Imran Nabi Dar, stated that it was all “flamboyance and wordplay.”

According to him, “There is nothing for unemployed youth. No blueprint on job creation for youth. We have lakhs of unemployed youths in J&K. There was not even a single word about addressing the plight of contractual, daily wagers and need-based employees. There is no ray of hope for our unemployed and skilled youth. They have been forsaken.”

Imran commented on the budget, highlighting that it was the fifth budget in a row that was not passed by the elected legislature of Jammu and Kashmir. He questioned the reasoning behind this, stating, “The exercise itself raises a question why an entire populace of nearly 1.40 Cr people continues to remain without a representative Assembly. An elected Assembly could have discussed and ascertained the needs and aspirations of the people of JK before tabling annual budgetary allocations and estimates. It is again for the fifth time that the concerned stakeholders were not consulted before the tabling of the budget.”

“There is nothing substantial for the horticulture sector of J&K. We expected them to announce a waiver on the KCC loans and bring down the GST rates on packaging items. Their claims of boosting horticulture and other allied sectors have remained restricted to statements only. No steps have been taken to augment fruit processing infrastructure either,” he said.

There is no handholding of artisans, marginal traders, transporters, hawkers, and start-ups, he said, adding that the budget has failed to fulfill the needs and aspirations of all the stakeholders across Jammu and Kashmir.

Ruing the failure of the government in upgrading the connectivity of Kashmir with the rest of the country, he said that there is nothing substantial for the upgradation and augmentation of Mughal road, Kishtwar-Sinthan road, Sadna top, and other road projects. (KNO)