Budget draws mixed reactions in Orissa

BHUBANESWAR - Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee’s budget proposals presented Monday evoked mixed reactions in Orissa, with senior citizens happy at tax sops, housewives more concerned about price rise than economic details and the political leaders reacting along party lines.

“In order to check inflation, he (Mukherjee) has emphasized upon the supply side. Different steps have been undertaken to raise the production of agriculture goods,” Dilip Kumar Panda, economics teacher at Gangadhar Meher College in Sambalpur, told IANS over phone.

Raghunath Mohapatra, a retired state government employee, said the increase of individual tax exemption limit to Rs.1.80 lakh from the existing Rs.1.60 lakh, reduction of the qualifying age for senior citizen to 60 from 65 and increase of exemption limit to Rs.2.50 lakh for them are some of the good steps.

Rukmini Mohanty, a housewife in Bhubaneswar, said: “I don’t see there will be any drastic change in the prices of essential items such as pulses, rice, vegetables, cooking gas, patrol, diesel.”

Communist Party of India MP Bibhu Prasad Tarai said: “The budget is more populist and election oriented”, adding that the budget was presented considering the upcoming elections in five states.

Senior leader of ruling Biju Janata Dal, Bhartruhari Mahtab, said the union budget has once again neglected the impoverished state like Orissa.

“The finance minister has neglected our state,” he said.

State BJP president Jual Oram said: “The budget has no direction. It has failed to meet the aspirations of the common man.”

Senior Congress leader Kailash Acharya, however, hailed the budget and said it was growth-oriented.

“He (the finance minister) has taken steps to strengthen our economy,” he said.