Tripura chief minister Biplab Kumar Deb claimed the Union Budget 2021-2022 as historic for India.

CM Deb said that the government has made the highest allocation in the health sector with an increase of 138% allocation of Rs 2,23,846 crore. In the previous budget, the allocation was Rs 94,452 cr.

Deb said, “The budget will increase the loan amount for the agriculture sector. In Tripura the primary sector having the farmers where almost 96 per cent of them hold less than 1 acres land will be benefited”.

Deputy Chief Minister Jishnu Dev Varma said it is a pro-people, all-round budget.

“All benefits will be given across the country. We are not separate. The interest of the Northeast is equal to that of the nation. Tripura will benefit in all aspects including national highway, rural development, power, health, gas and textiles,” Dev Varma said.

The fiscal short of 9.5 per cent in the GDP for 2021 is an indication that the government has spent money during the pandemic and initiatives to reduce the gap to 6.8 per cent have also been initiated, he said.

Dev Varma added, “India is spending for India to become Aatma Nirbhar. If demand increases, supply and manufacturing will increase which will automatically employ youths”.

The budget stands on six pillars— health, human capital, innovation, research and development and physical infrastructure said Dev Varma, who also holds the finance portfolio.

The minister said, “RBI has said that Rs 27.1 lakh crore was utilised in Aatma Nirbhar Bharat which is 30 per cent of the GDP. It is a big milestone for the country. The government has announced launching Mission Poshan 2.0- Jal Jeevan Mission Urban”.

“The three bills have nothing against the farmers. They aim to eradicate the middle man, encourage contract farming, and increase the storage capacity of the produce. These laws were the need of the hour to give justice, liberty to the farmers,” Dev Varma added.

The budget is to protect the corporate sector and help industrialists, said Pradesh Congress President Pijush Kanti Biswas.

Biswas said, “There is nothing for the poor and the middle class. It is an ‘anti-people’ budget. The country is seriously affected due to pandemic, and it was the first duty for the government to ensure that money comes to the hand of the poor and middle-class family so that the flow of money in the market”.

When India was under a crisis, the primary sector was ignored, he said.

Former Member of Parliament and CPIM leader Jitendra Chaudhury said, “If we see the last budget, which was around Rs 30 lakh crore, but there the expenditure was only Rs 22 lakh crore. More than 25 per cent of the money was not spent. Across the country, there is the agitation of the farmers, and there is the anger of the common people in support of the cause of the farmer, even that was not hindered”.

The agriculture and health budget indicates the government’s insensitivity, and is anti-people since their motive is to help the corporate alone.

“Altogether, there is no increase in other welfare schemes in the budget. Their only objective is to help the corporate,” Chaudhury added.