Shimla, February 26
The Budget presented by Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee has evoked mixed reactions with the ruling BJP terming it as anti-poor and the Congress hailing it as a” balanced and growth-oriented”.

Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal said that the budget proposals would further hit the common man who was already reeling under the impact of unprecedented price rise. It could be best described as anti-poor, anti-common man and anti-farmer and reflected the attitude of the UPA regime which claimed to be a benefactor of the poor. The proposed hike in petrol and diesel would affect the common man as increase in transportation costs would further fuel inflation.

He said the Centre was discriminating against the state as evident from the fact the industrial package had not been extended. It would stop industrial growth as the package was attracting a large number of industrial houses to the state. Change in income tax slabs would benefit the higher paid employees and the low-paid staff had not been given any concession.

Pradesh Congress Committee chief Kaul Singh has termed it as the best budget in view of the global economic slow down and it would not only boost growth but also provide further fillip to infrastructure development, health education and social sectors. He hailed the long-term tax rebate for investment in infrastructure, hike of 37 per cent in allocation for social sector, particularly the creation of national security fund, increased spending under the MNREGA, and incentive to small industries.

Further, the huge relief given to the salaried class by lowering income tax rates would increase their purchasing power and emphasis on agriculture would boost growth. The increased allocation for the Bharat Nirman Scheme was also a welcome proposal.

The CPM said the Budget would benefit the rich at the cost of the common man. It failed to address the problems of the farmers and the growing food insecurity in the country. Inflation, particularly price of food items, was bound to cross the 20 per cent mark. The party called for the withdrawal of the increase in petrol and diesel prices.

The most significant increase in indirect taxes had come in the form of a 5 per cent increase in customs duty on crude petroleum along with a Re 1 per litre increase in central excise duty on petrol and diesel. Concessions have been doled out to the rich that include real estate developers, hoteliers and other commercial establishments in direct taxes to the tune of thousands of crores.

BJP spokesperson Ashok Kapatia termed the Budget as great disappointment and it would lead to immediate increase in the prices of steel, cement, coal and various petro-products. The inflation would jump by 2 to 3 per cent and service tax on electricity would further burden eh consumer. 

Solan, February 26
The Union Budget appears to have heavily upset the apple cart of the industry in Himachal with the incentive benefits being nullified with several benefits getting curtailed due to increase in taxes. While the industry’s hope of increase in the package period has already been dashed, extension of tax holiday in the Congress-ruled Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) till 2017 has added to the peril.

Himachal was hopeful of getting the central industrial package hiked by another two years but despite it being the home turf of Industry and Commerce Minister Anand Sharma, little had been done.

The pharmaceutical industry has been left high and dry with an increase of 2 per cent excise duty on raw material from 8 to 10 per cent. This will enhance the manufacturing cost with their counterparts in non-incentive states being benefitted, opined RK Arora, chairman, Federation of Pharmaceutical Entrepreneurs.

Similarly, with the minimum alternate tax being hiked to 18 per cent from the existing 15 per cent, industries like steel would stand to lose, opined Surinder Jain, an investor in this sector. This was a highly retrograde step and it appeared that the Budget had specially targeted the incentive states, he added.

Pradeep Sharma from Sahara Textiles said the package period, which expires in March this year, would impact growth thereby limiting employment opportunities for the local youth.

With increase in diesel and petrol prices and enhancement of excise duty by another 2 per cent, the auto industry, which had shown some recovery, was now fearful if the growth would be sustained. Although this enhancement would have no impact on the auto industry in incentive states like Himachal, opined CN Dhar, senior vice-president of a leading auto unit in Baddi.

The packagers, however, have been hit hard as the a duty on corrugated boxes and packaging material has been reduced from 8 to 4 per cent and this would make the packaging material costlier in the incentive states than in the non-incentive states, opined Mukesh Jain, general secretary, Himachal Corrugated Box Manufacturers’ Association.

Hamirpur, February 26
While a large number of people from different walks of life were expecting concessions in the Union Budget from the Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Shiam Lal, a daily wager, is only concerned about reduction in the prices of essential commodities.

Shiam Lal (57), who is working as a daily wager in a transport company here, is more concerned to earn enough to support his family than indulging into tricky calculations of the Budget. He earns about Rs 250 on an average daily and has to feed his family of five.

His only hope from the Union Budget is reduction in the prices of commodities like wheat flour, sugar, cooking oil and potatoes etc.

Talking to The Tribune, he says, “Life has become very difficult with rising prices everyday and I would be happy if the government takes steps to reduce prices of essential commodities through the Budget.” He also wants concessions for poor people in education and health sectors, besides reduction in fuel prices.

Shimla, February 26
Mayor Madhu Sood today presented a tax-free Budget of Rs 160.95 crore for the Shimla Municipal Corporation (MC) as the BJP councillors left the House in protest against the decision to keep the media out of the House.

The Mayor, while spelling out the priorities, said thrust would be on providing better roads, housing for urban poor, cleanliness and proper drinking water supply during 2010-11. She also proposed to beautify the town by creating parks in certain areas with the help of corporate sector.

Presenting the Budget, she said revenue receipts were expected to touch Rs 147.05 crore while the capital income was likely to touch Rs 138.95 crore. As such, the total estimated income of the MC for the year was likely to be Rs 160.95 crore.

Similarly, the revenue expenditure was expected to be Rs 140.25 crore while the capital expenditure was likely to be Rs 19.52 crore. As the Budget was almost on par with no profit or loss as the estimated expenditure was expected to be Rs 159.77 crore.

Even as the BJP councillors left the Congress- ruled House in protest against the decision of not allowing mediapersons inside the House while the Budget was being presented, the Mayor completed her Budget speech and gave details of the grants received from the Centre as well as the state government.

Listing her priorities, she announced that a sum of Rs 4.10 crore was proposed to be spent on construction and maintenance of roads, railings, and retaining walls. A sum of Rs 50 lakh each is to be spent on channelisation and repair of nullahs, for street lighting and for constructing toilets.

The MC proposes to spend a sum of Rs 90 crore for laying sewerage lines and a sum of Rs 2.50 crore for providing houses for the urban poor.

Keeping in mind the problem of dumping of debris in forest areas and un-demarcated areas by people, the MC will spend a sum of Rs 1 crore on creating new dumping sites.

A provision of Rs 10 crore has been made by the MC as its share against Rs 6.23 crore that the MC has to make for various projects like solid waste management project and tunnel construction under Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM).

Mandi, February 26
Somdev, a milk vendor, and Jagdev Thakur, a handicapped person, have one thing in common---they represent the below poverty line (BPL) families from the rural areas in the district. But they say the Budget has no meaning for them as they have not got any benefits from government schemes or BPL job quota for the handicapped.

Moreover, they have no knowledge how to acquire subsidised loans meant for the weaker sections.

Talking to The Tribune here today, Jagdeep, a resident of Bijni village, said the Budget was meant for the rich as the poor had to strive for two square meals round the clock.

“I am a graduate with draftsman diploma. However, I have not received a single letter for the past one decade from the handicapped cell that the government has created jobs to help the physically challenged persons.”

Jagdeep has a family of five members, two school-going children and his wife and mother, who depend on him. “We cannot even think of buying extra items other than the ration from the PDS deport, which is sometime available and sometimes not,”he says.

He runs an autorickshaw and earns Rs 100 a day in the town and goes back to his village, about 15 km away, in the evening. “I borrowed money from money lenders as all doors of employment were closed. I approached the handicapped cell at Shimla, but they have no knowledge about loan scheme with 4 per cent interest rate for the handicapped,” Jagdeep said.

Somdev, who also has five members to feed, expresses similar views. “I walk daily for 10 km from Reddhar village to sell 50 kg of milk in Mandi town. I earn Rs 3 per kg and save Rs 150 a day to feed my family.”

The land is infertile and they depend on rains. “When we sow maize and other crops, these are eaten away by monkeys,” they rued.

(Neri) Hamirpur, February 26
To make people of the country self-reliant, development of villages is of vital importance. Keeping this ideal in mind, the state government is concentrating on the development of rural areas.

This was stated by Chief Minister PK Dhumal while addressing a gathering here today after inaugurating two-day state kissan mela organised by Nauni Horticulture University. Dhumal said, “Since 90 per cent of our population lives in rural areas, we are creating infrastructure and facilities to develop these into ideal villages and had set our focus on proving roads, health, education and opportunities for self employment in these areas to make people self-reliant.”

Talking about various facilities provided by the state government, Dhumal said, “We want people to adopt new techniques introduced in agriculture and horticulture for becoming self-employed besides other facilities provided through different schemes.”

He said, “There are various opportunities in floriculture, soil testing, diversification of crops by using irrigation facilities created through watershed development projects, mushroom cultivation etc and people should draw its benefits.”

Stressing on the need for the latest research in agriculture and horticulture, Dhumal said, “The results of research should reach farmers. Researchers should take new findings from laboratory to fields to the common man and now the ACRs of scientists would be based on this performance only.”

Earlier, the CM also inaugurated a scientific lab at Neri. Horticulture Minister Narender Bragta, local MLA Urmil Thakur and Vice Chancellor of Horticulture University Prof KR Dhiman also addressed the gathering.

Solan, February 26
Aniket, a class III student, had a miraculous escape when, after getting embedded in the debris of a falling retaining wall, he was rescued by a painter at 9 am today. The incident took place at Rabon village’s government primary school where the child was studying and was awaiting for the school to open. Two houses, belonging to Pritam Singh and Kashmiri, were also hit as rubble fell over them.

The child was saved by Babu Lal, a painter, who was cleaning a car nearby. He quickly ran to save the child after hearing his cries and managed to drag him out of the stones. Lal suffered some head injuries. Since the area was inhabited mostly by Nepalese, parents usually left for work in the morning leaving the children in the school much before the school timings.

Villagers said the tragedy would have been bigger had the school started its functioning today. The nearly 40-ft-wide and 50-ft-high retaining wall was laid about less than two years back and water continuously seeped in for hours everyday as the school water tank lacked the required valve to regulate its flow.

Not only had the village panchayat failed to align it properly, presence of a septic tank and a toilet right above this wall had put a question mark over its safety.

SDM Vivek Chandel, who rushed to the spot, provided an immediate help of Rs 5,000 to the child.

In another incident, a three-year-old girl child succumbed to her burn injuries while being taken to the PGI, Chandigarh. She was sleeping in her jhuggi at Malpur village when some nearby jhuggis caught fire this morning. The cause of the fire was not known but timely action by employees of Cipla pharmaceuticals located nearby helped douse the fire. The girl, who had received serious burn injuries, was referred to the PGI after being rescued from the jhuggi, said Baddi DSP Bhagmal Thakur.