Says Budget 2014-15 is visionless
Principal Correspondent
KOHIMA, JULY 24
THE Opposition Congress while expressing that the state politicians have failed the Naga people in all fronts today suggested dissolution of the present Assembly and pave way for the Naga political solution and bring a change in the state.
Participating in the general discussion on Budget 2014-15 presented by Chief Minister TR Zeliang on Tuesday, Congress MLA S. Hukavi Zhimomi said “No political party in the state is in a position to quench the trust of the people and therefore we pave way for change.
He called upon the members of the House to come together and ‘dissolve’ the present House so as to give chance to the Naga underground groups to resolve the long pending Naga political problem.
He also lashed the DAN-III government for remaining silent over the continuous Assam-Nagaland (Dimapur-Karbi Anglong) border tension, which has resulted in killing of six Nagas, injuring of over 20 people and jailing of over 40 people.
He said the Nagaland Government has not been initiating any action but has silently imposed 144 CrPC within the Naga areas.
He said even as the matter is in the Supreme Court, the Assam side already illegally occupied almost 90% of the over 4000 sq. meters of disputed area by establishing villages while Nagaland government is trying to stop our own people who are occupying remaining hardly 10% of the area.
“The court case is a wastage as Assam has occupied almost all the areas which is said to under dispute,” he said while also maintaining that the 1972 Agreement between Assam and Nagaland government, as it gives advantage to Assam side, which has been asked to take care of the disputed forest area.
He also pointed that while Assam side has been keeping vigil through DIG (Border), Nagaland government does not have a DIG to look into the border dispute.
Hukavi alleged the matter is serious but the Nagaland government is not serious because as enshrined in Article 371(A) land does not belong to the government but it belongs to the people.
Nonetheless, the Congress MLA urged the government of the day to protect the rights of the people. He also requested the Chief Minister to ask his Assam counterpart to vacate the illegally occupied areas.
VISIONLESS BUDGET 2014-15
Earlier, initiating the discussion on Budget 2014-15, Congress Legislature Party (CLP) Leader Tokheho Yepthomi termed it as ‘visionless budget’, which is devoid of any welfare scheme for downtrodden people and also without any austerity measures to curb the huge deficit amounting to Rs 1252.45 crore.
He said despite decisive victory and contrary to people expectations, there were no new reforms from the last budget of the DAN government.
Expressing that there is no economic reforms in the budget, he said low economic growth has become stagnant for the last 12 years while the government has failed to check high price rise, rising unemployment and low economic growth.
He said that despite of current fiscal mess, there is no radical reform of tax policy in the budget as no corrective measures have been proposed to improve tax policy.
Yepthomi said there is an urgent need of the government to contain high deficit but the government has not proposed any revenue mobilization to contain high fiscal deficit.
He said austerity measures are not taken and the government is lavishly spending huge money on non revenue sectors, which has become the daily routine of the present government.
“If the government is really serious enough of the present financial position, then they should take some steps like constituting an Expenditure Management Commission as proposed by the Central government”, he said while expressing that progress and development cannot be expected with such huge deficit that has been increasing every year without measures to curb it.
The CLP Leader also lamented that there is no welfare schemes proposed for the poor and down trodden people while in the educational sector despite the mess the budget allotted fewer funds for the improve of government educational institutions.
There is no scheme proposed for the welfare of the students so as to create avenues for their studies and also help monetary help for the needy and poor background.
Congress MLAs K Khekhaho Assumi, Hukavi and Imtikumzuk also spoke on similar lines while urging the government to be serious in delivering goods for the welfare of the people. They also maintained that the high fiscal deficit of the state was not just because of the recommendations of the 13th Finance Commission but because of the financial mismanagement and corrupt practices of the DAN government.
NCP MLA Mmhonlumo Kikon spoke in support of the Budget and termed it as potential and promising despite the severe financial problem faced by the Government. Expressing that the newly installed DAN-III government under the new leadership is in a honeymoon period, he opined that sometime should be granted for the new government to plan and perform better for the welfare of the Naga people.
