Union Budget: Booster dose for tourism, thrust to trade & industry top wish-list

Neeraj Bagga

Amritsar, January 31

With the Union Budget all set to be presented today in Parliament, people in the city have come out with their expectations, hopes and apprehensions. Tourism-oriented projects and rebates for industries top the wish-list. Farmers and industrialists also want policies focused on border areas to aid in its development.

Declare tourism project for city

The Union government should declare a mega tourism project for the city of Golden Temple to bolster its prospects. New hotels are being continuously constructed which is adding to the total room capacity. To prevent stagnation in the industry, it is necessary to add mega projects. Satnam Singh Kanda, a hotelier

Satnam Singh Kanda, a hotelier, said the Union government should declare a mega tourism project for the city of Golden Temple to bolster its prospects. “New hotels are being continuously constructed which is adding to the total room capacity. To prevent stagnation in the industry, it is necessary to add mega projects.”

Bachan Singh, a farmer, said keeping in view trends in the past Budgets of the Modi government, they expect it to be pro-corporate and not much is being expected for agriculture. He said the government was withdrawing subsidies and the prices of agricultural equipment and appliances have escalated during the past few years. All this has meant a hike in the cost of inputs for farmers. Despite the MS Swaminathan report and the BJP’s announcement to implement it after coming to power, nothing has come out of it.

Raman Gupta, a leading pharmaceutical exporter, said over 6,500 items were exported out of the state. He anticipated a helping hand and encouragement to seasoned exporters to increase the quantum of their export. Gupta said the exporters were seeking revival of export promotion capital goods scheme. Issues like identification of products to be exported to various markets, challenges faced by exporters based in border towns, rising logistics cost and other issues must be taken up.

Among the goods being exported from here, a major share is of basmati rice, Arab countries being a major customer of locally grown basmati variety. Chess and plant extracts for medicine are also being exported, especially to developed and European countries.

Deepak Khanna, president of the Textile Merchants Association (TMA), sought immediate passage of the National Textile Policy as the country needs to replace 22 lakh power looms with shuttle-less looms but at the same time it is required that hand-looms be revived. In addition to this, 25 per cent capital subsidy and curtailment of GST from 18 per cent to 5 per cent for buying machinery for textile manufacturing were sought from the Union Budget.