Budget reflection of World Bank and IMF policies: CPM

Shimla, Mar 3 (UNI) The Himachal Pradesh unit of the CPM today said the 2006-07 Budget was a mere reflection of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) policies being implemented in the state.

Party state secretary Rakesh Singha, in an official release here, said the Chief Minister's Budget speech has not mentioned any steps being taken by the government to check rising unemployment in the state and crises in the agriculture sector.

''The number of unemployed youth in the state has crossed 14 lakh for which the state government has not made any provision in this year's Budget, which was regrettable,'' he said.

Mr Singha said funds for the several new schemes being implemented in the state were being received from the World Bank and IMF.

He said the state government was implementing the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management Act, under which there was a complete ban on recruitment in the government sector, and user charges were being implemented on health, education and other services that the government was providing to the people.

This was only increasing the tax burden on the people of the state, he said.

Mr Singha criticised the state government's decision of inviting private sector in education, agriculture and horticulture, saying it was not in the interests of the people of the state.

The government's decision of opening of private schools in rural areas and the HP Private University (establishment and regulation) bill was a step towards commercialisation of the education in the state, he said.

The opening up of agriculture and horticulture sectors would only led to the exploitation of the orchidists and farmers, he added.

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