Huge loan waiver to farmers lead to high inflation- Ghadei

Bhubaneswar, Feb 29 (UNI) Orissa Finance Minister P C Ghadei today dubbed the Union budget, presented by Finance Minister P Chidambaram, an ''election budget'' with an eye on vote bank politics.

Mr Ghadei said the huge loan waiver of farmers to the tune of Rs 50,000 crore would ultimately help in the rise of inflation as no attempt had been made to contain the price rise.

The Minister said the decision of the government to raise 15 per cent of the resource mobilisation from the market loan would cause further pressure on the inflation trend.

Mr Ghadei said no special package had been announced in the budget for Orissa, listed as the poorest state of the country, to overcome poverty, but special packages were announced for the northern states.

The demand for IIT, Central University and the Indian Institute of Higher Studies had been completely ignored, the Finance Minister said adding the amount in the Indira Awas Yojana should be kept at Rs 50,000 instead of Rs 30,000 and demanded that the Centre should bear the premium for the the BPL families under the National Health Insurance Policy.

UNI DP SJC RL HS1821