Change approach to Budget preparation: PMK

Puducherry, Jan 29 (UNI) PMK Parliamentary party leader Prof M Ramadass today called for a change in the approach to preparing the budget.

Participating in a pre-budget discussion organised by the Pondicherry institute of development research and action here Ramadass said the quantum of funds being allocated to each department and it's benifits should be mentioned in the budget speech. National programmes should be evolved after hearing the views of all states and union territories, he added.

He said presently out of the population of 110 crore, 32 crore cannot get three meals a day and 10 crore qualified youths were jobless, several areas lack basic amenities and enviornment pollution was rampant in the country.

The development of the country is measured on the availability of food, protected drinking water and education, he said adding presently the country was developing but not the people. This situation should change. If the economic growth was 8 per cent, the people should develop by 8 per cent and the per capita income should also increase accordingly, he said.

He said the finance and commerce ministries of the union government differ in the setting up of special economic zones.While the commerce ministry welcomes it, the finance ministry opposes it.An industrial unit set up in the special economic zone enjoys tax holidays while a unit outside the zone with the same production will have to pay tax.

The government will lose it's revenue because of SEZ, he said and added SEZ was a failure in Kochi and because of these reasons the finance ministry was opposed to it.

Representatives of several organisations aired their views at the meeting and Prof Ramadass assured to convey them at the meeting Finance Minister P Chidambaram had convened on February 2, to discuss the preparation for the budget.

UNI