J&K Budget falls short of common people's expectations: Rattan Lal Gupta

• Welcomes long-overdue allocation of funds for Shahpurkandi project—a dream project of Sheikh Abdullah

JAMMU: Rattan Lal Gupta, Provincial President of the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (JKNC), has vehemently criticized the J&K Budget 2024-25, presented in Parliament, for its failure to meet the expectations of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.

In a strongly worded statement issued today, the senior NC leader lambasted the Budget for offering nothing new and falling drastically short of addressing the pressing issues faced by the Union Territory. He lamented that J&K is enduring its most challenging phase under the BJP-led Central Government.

"People had high hopes for significant fund allocations and innovative schemes," he said. "However, this Budget lacks the vision and measures needed to tackle the urgent problems of unemployment, tourism, trade, education, the industrial sector, agriculture, and other essential civic issues. What was anticipated to be a transformative Budget has instead turned out to be a monumental disappointment."

Describing the J&K Budget 2024-25 as a "cruel joke," the senior NC leader criticized it as a mere "jugglery of words" meant to create an illusion of progress. "In reality, the Budget ensures that the poor become poorer while the rich get richer, a bitter irony for the people of J&K," he asserted.

The Provincial President highlighted several shortcomings in the Budget, including its failure to provide significant relief measures for farmers, initiatives to combat rising unemployment among the youth, and exemptions or relief on electricity tariffs. He also pointed out the absence of concrete plans to raise paramilitary forces on the border, a commitment made by the BJP government itself. Additionally, he criticized the lack of provisions for addressing the issues of daily wagers and other employees working on a contractual and ad hoc basis, the neglect of critical public undertakings and pilot projects, and the absence of revival plans for the sick industrial units of J&K, including two cement units that have left 400 families in distress.

The senior NC leader urgently called on the Central Government to reassess the Budget and introduce substantial measures to address the genuine needs and aspirations of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.

Welcoming the long-overdue allocation of funds for the Shahpurkandi project in the Budget 2024, Rattan Lal Gupta said that the concept of the Shahpurkandi dam traces back to a landmark 1979 agreement between Chief Ministers Parkash Singh Badal of Punjab and Sheikh Abdullah of J&K. Designed to capture and store rainwater for irrigation, this visionary project aims to benefit approximately 37,000 hectares—5,000 hectares in Punjab and 32,000 hectares in Jammu & Kashmir. This monumental undertaking will positively impact nearly 76 villages in the adjoining areas. This was the dream pilot project of Sheikh Abdullah.

Rattan Lal said that this project also includes a 206 MW powerhouse dedicated to power generation, with J&K poised to receive 20 percent of the hydroelectricity produced. Despite its transformative potential, this project has languished due to insufficient funding from the Central Government. He emphasized that this initiative was a dream project of Sheikh Abdullah, and the National Conference leadership has persistently advocated for it with the central authorities from time to time. He expressed hope that the Central Government will now take decisive steps to bring this visionary project to fruition.