Punjab's Rs.73,593-crore budget, no new taxes

Chandigarh, July 16 (IANS) Punjab Finance Minister Parminder Singh Dhindsa Wednesday presented a Rs.73,593 crore budget for 2014-15 with a deficit of Rs.4,252 crore.

He proposed only Rs.109 crore to fight drug addiction and cancer, two major problems the state has been facing in the past few years.

Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal termed it a "balanced and growth-oriented budget". He said it will propel growth and development of the state.

The opposition Congress dismissed the budget as directionless and uninspiring.

Congress deputy leader in the Lok Sabha and former chief minister Amarinder Singh said the budget was a "statement of admission of fiscal failure and incompetence" of the Akali Dal-Bharatiya Janata Party government in the state.

"Not that anybody had expected any miracles from this budget, but this would be so disappointing was beyond imagination," he said.

Amarinder Singh lashed out at Badal for not being present in the assembly when the budget was being presented. "This only reflected his lack of sincerity and seriousness towards the state," he said.

Expressing concern over the mounting debt of the state, which will cross Rs.113,053 crore by the end of the current fiscal, he said the Badal government was hardly concerned about taking any corrective measures.

But Badal maintained the budget has taken care of all core sectors like health, education, power, infrastructure and social security.