Budget to benefit weaker sections, expedite development
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Mar 7: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today said his Government is working with the Centre on a time frame for the restoration of Statehood to the Union Territory.
Talking to reporters here after presenting his maiden budget in the Legislative Assembly earlier in the day, he said a Union Territory with an Assembly is the “worst form of Government”.
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“We are working on a time frame, but I do not think it is appropriate for me to talk about it at this point in time. Needless to say that it is work in progress,” Omar said.
He was responding to a question about his meetings with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman after assuming power in Jammu and Kashmir in October last year and whether any time frame was given to him for the restoration of Statehood.
“I had no hesitation in saying this earlier, and I am saying it again that there should be only two systems in this country — either you have a UT without Assembly or you have a State. A UT is an area too small to be a State and that criterion does not apply to J&K,” he said.
Asked whether he is satisfied with the funds allocated to Jammu and Kashmir by the Central Government, the Chief Minister said he is extremely grateful for what has been given.
“I do not want to sound ungrateful by saying that we should have got more. Whatever we get, we will utilize, and what we’ve got so far, we are thankful for it,” he said.
Responding to a question about the long pending demand of the regularization of daily wagers, need-based workers and other similar categories of workers, he said, “We have to do something for them.”
“First, we have to decide their numbers because their number varies. We do not have a single number anywhere, and when we have that number, we can form a policy,” he said.
Dismissing opposition criticism of his maiden budget, Omar said his Government prepared the budget with an aim to benefit the people, especially the weaker sections of society, and expedite development.
The budget is a love letter to the people of Jammu and Kashmir and not the BJP, he said. “I am satisfied this is the best start for Jammu and Kashmir, given its financial position and Union Territory status.”
He said he never claimed that everything would be set right and the National Conference Government would fulfil all its pre-poll promises in its first budget.
“Ask me the question about the fulfillment of election promises at the end of my five-year term. I will happily answer every question because our mandate is for five years,” he said.
Asked about the opposition parties’ criticism that the budget was Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s document, he said, “If the Prime Minister wants to see Jammu and Kashmir as a developed state, should I say it should not happen? Is anyone among us saying that Jammu and Kashmir should not be developed because the Prime Minister had said this?”
“If the Centre’s intentions with regard to Jammu and Kashmir are right, we will move in that direction but this budget is not the Government of India’s budget. This budget is of the people of Jammu and Kashmir and we consulted a lot of them while preparing it. It was the first time in the country that all MLAs were made part of budget consultations and their suggestions sought,” Omar said.
The Chief Minister said Jammu and Kashmir’s six previous budgets were presented in Parliament and the people were not aware of its content.
“Even I don’t know what was there in the budget for Jammu and Kashmir but, today, people are discussing, posing questions and making statements. Had it been the Prime Minister’s budget, there would not have been a question-and-answer session here. Neither the Prime Minister nor the Finance Minister would have come here to answer your questions, he said.
The public will benefit if the track of the Prime Minister and the Jammu and Kashmir Government’s vision, as far as the Union Territory’s development is concerned, meets, he said.
Omar said he did not expect anything but criticism from the opposition parties because “that is why they are called the opposition”.
“If they were anything else, they would be in Government,” he added.
It will be difficult to find an example where the opposition had come out of Parliament or Assembly and praised the budget, he further said.
“I believe we have presented a budget that is people-friendly. It is a love letter to the people of Jammu and Kashmir and, to that extent, the people who voted for the BJP, it is a love letter to them as well. It is a love letter to those who voted for the National Conference, Congress, the PDP (Peoples Democratic Party) and even those who did not vote,” the Chief Minister said, responding to the Opposition terming his budget as a “love letter to the BJP” and a document of “broken promises”.
The budget was an exercise of trying to do maximum good with the least resources but the government will try to expand the social welfare schemes with improvement in its resource position, Omar said.
“I am not saying everything has been done. We are saying that we laid the foundation for the coming five years. If the foundation is strong, the structure built on it is also strong,” he said.
In any society, those in need are cared for first and, therefore, the initiatives and the welfare measures announced in the budget are meant to cover the poorest of the poor, he added.
“As we move forward and our financial condition improves, we will expand the welfare measures,” Omar said.
He said the emphasis of the budget was taking Jammu and Kashmir forward in a balanced manner, focusing on improving the economy, growing the investor base, expanding manufacturing, boosting start-ups and entrepreneurship, renewing focus on agriculture, horticulture and allied sectors, besides tourism.
“We are looking to grow tourism arrivals both in Kashmir and Jammu. On the governance side, there are initiatives for improving governance, asset creation and improving the social net available to the weaker sections,” he added
Omar said he would never present the Budget again while observing Ramzan fast.
The Chief Minister said he could have advanced or postponed the budget session.
“After today’s experience, I will never present my Budget again while having Ramadan fast. Either I will pre or postpone the session or request the Speaker with folded hands to arrange the session around 6.30 pm (after breaking the day-long fast),” Omar said.
He was responding to a question about the difficulty in holding the budget session during the ongoing holy month of Ramzan, especially in presenting the Budget when one does not swallow even a drop of water.
Omar outlined a series of initiatives aimed at boosting tourism, strengthening the economy and improving infrastructure, with a special focus on roping in the south Indian film industry.
He emphasised the need to attract high-end tourists, engage the film industry, and make Jammu and Kashmir self-reliant in power generation.
Highlighting the efforts to strengthen the government’s film policy, Abdullah said while Jammu and Kashmir had been a popular destination for Bollywood, there was little engagement from film industries in south India.
“…a significant part of the film industry operates in south India and we have seen very little activity from there. We will strive to involve the southern film industries,” he said.
Attracting south Indian filmmakers will serve a dual purpose, Omar said.
“They will utilise our filming locations and facilities … At the same time, we can attract south Indian tourists, who visit Jammu and Kashmir in fewer numbers compared to those from Gujarat, Maharashtra, and central and western India,” he added.
The Chief Minister also spoke about the Government’s plan to create tourism circuits in Jammu.
“Our aim is to divert Mata Vaishno Devi pilgrims to other tourist destinations in Jammu, to be promoted on a package basis,” he said.
Calling for a shift towards high-end tourism, Omar said he plans to prioritise quality over quantity.
“Instead of focusing on just increasing the numbers, we need to enhance the quality of tourism that will help generate more revenue. This requires the development of high-end tourism infrastructure in both Jammu and Kashmir,” he said.
The Government is also formulating a hydropower policy to boost the energy sector, Omar said.
“The framework is ready and some elements are being finalised. Once completed, it will be presented to the public,” he added.
Abdullah said the policy aimed to focus on power generation while also improving distribution and reducing transmission losses.
He noted that most of Jammu and Kashmir’s hydroelectric potential lay in the Chenab river and his administration was working to fully harness it.
“Some of these projects were initiated when I was chief minister. The Chenab Valley Power Corporation was set up during my tenure and we will work to complete those projects as soon as possible,” he said.
Abdullah also defended the installation of smart meters.
“If you consume electricity, you must pay through smart meters. This is why we have been advocating for their installation as they allow consumers to pay only for what they use. For those below the poverty line, we have already announced 200 free units in our budget,” he said.
The Chief Minister reiterated his government’s commitment to making Jammu and Kashmir drugs-free.
“The Central Government has also taken measures in this direction. We are working closely with the government of India and the home ministry to coordinate the efforts to combat drugs abuse,” he said.
He added the National Conference prepared a document on the issue that had been adopted by the government and action would be taken accordingly.
Omar assured that his administration was focused on financial discipline and reducing dependence on central assistance.
“Our capital expenditure is increasing and repayments are decreasing. No finance minister has a magic wand — we work with what we have. We are conscious of not burdening future generations with excessive debt,” he said.
Noting Jammu and Kashmir’s high debts, Abdullah said, “None of the initiatives announced today (Friday) have added any new debt. Instead, repayments have increased and we have worked to clean up financial records.”
He acknowledged that achieving economic stability would take time.
“I cannot provide a definite timeline. Our goal is to make Jammu and Kashmir self-sufficient. This will require tough decisions,” he said.
He also highlighted budget measures aimed at putting more money in people’s hands to help tackle inflation.
“While we cannot fully counter inflation, we have attempted to alleviate the concerns of the weaker sections,” he said.
Abdullah, the National Conference vice-president, reiterated that security was the biggest concern for the return of Kashmiri Pandits.
“We have allocated funds to complete their residential and transit accommodations. However, their return is more dependent on the security situation. Kashmiri Pandits did not leave due to financial hardship, they left because their lives were in danger. Until we eliminate that threat, we cannot expect a full return,” he said.
The responsibility of ensuring safe conditions in Kashmir is shared between the Lieutenant Governor and the Government, he further said.
“Our collective effort will be to create conditions in Kashmir that encourage Kashmiri Pandits to return voluntarily,” he added.
The Chief Minister also announced plans to develop world-class sports infrastructure, hinting at the possibility of hosting Indian Premier League (IPL) matches.
“We are focusing on sports on a large scale, with infrastructure and quality facilities being key priorities. Once the infrastructure is ready, we will explore the possibility of hosting IPL matches,” Omar said.
Discussions are underway with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) regarding a state-of-the-art stadium in Kathua and a similar international-standard facility in Kashmir, he said.
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