Nothing concrete in budget for power, employment: Tarigami

Alleging that the finance minister has focused on figures and future promises rather than concrete and pragmatic proposals, CPI(M) MLA M Y Tarigami said the problems of the unemployed youth have not been addressed in the budget.
"Unemployment is a very crucial challengefor the state and this problem contributes to the political uncertainty and unrest. As such, it should have been taken very seriously by the Finance Minister," he said.
The MLA said, "Unfortunately it has in a sense been neglected."
Regularisation of 61,000 casual workers and implementation of seventh Pay Commission too have been postponed. There should be no further delay and dilly dallying in the regularisation process, Tarigami said.

Some legislators had in the past impressed upon the government to bring J&K Bank under the preview of the state legislature but the suggestions were ignored, he said.
"On the other hand the impression was generated that the said institution was on the top and its management and performance was par excellence.

"Now the bank has suffered losses of Rs 600 crores and the government is infusing equity of Rs 532 crores in two tranches. The real picture has now become clear," he said.
Tarigami also claimed that the budget is vague on improving the present dismal power situation.
"The coalition government should have, as promised in its Alliance of Agenda and recommended by the Rangarajan Committee, urged the Centre to handover two J&K based hydro-electric power projects to the state.

"This has not been done as the Centre has not been bounteous enough to grant this request," he said.
"Nothing concrete for improving generation, transmission and distribution of power have been proposed. Instead, unbundling of power/electric sector has been projected as panacea to all ills and problems," he said.