Budget disappoints naxalism-hit states: Raman

Raipur, Feb 28 (UNI) Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh today described as ''disappointing'' the Union Budget for 2007-08 and said that it did not offer any special assistance to states facing the naxal challenge.

Reacting to the Budget, presented by Finance Minister P Chidambaram in the Lok Sabha, Dr Singh said that the naxal problem was being faced by several states and a population exceeding 30 crore was affected.

Pointing out that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh himself expressed concern over the Maoist menace, Dr Singh said that the Budget did not reflect such concerns.

Stating that there were no concrete plans to contain price rise and inflation, the Chief Minister said that the Centre had not even thought of providing relief to farmers by easing the interest burden on short-term agriculture credit. This at a time when peasants of Maharashtra and other states were committing suicide due to mounting debts, he added.

Dr Singh pointed out that his government reduced the rate of interest on agriculture loans from seven per cent to six per cent by making provision in the state budget to provide interest subsidy.

The Chief Minister said that the reduction of outlay for the 'Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (campaign for universalising education) in the Budget would affect the programme being implemented in the states. Many states had already recruited 'shiksha karmis' (teachers on honorarium) under the programme.

However, Dr Singh welcomed the proposal for providing duty exemption on biodiesel saying that it would go a long way in promoting and popularising biofuel. He also welcomed the proposal to impose cess on export of iron ore and coal saying that it would help make raw material available to domestic industry. He suggested that a share of revenue earned through the cess must be passed on to the states concerned.

UNI