The public issue of the Life Insurance Corporation (LIC), the role for the private players in the water sector and no change in personal income tax rates, all of which are reflected in the Union Budget, are causes for concern, according to the AMMK general secretary T.T.V. Dhinakaran.
In a statement, he condemned the Central government’s move to go ahead with the public issue of the LIC, despite “opposition” from several sections of the society. Likewise, the “One Nation, One Registration” system will “considerably affect” the revenue of the States, and this was why the Centre should give it up. It was also disappointing that the Budget did not talk about keeping under check the prices of fertilisers and farm inputs.
However, the AMMK leader welcomed various measures announced in the Budget, including the project of linking the Pennar and Cauvery rivers, an additional credit of ₹2 lakh crore for the sector of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), the provision of ₹2.37 lakh crore towards paying farmers at the values of the Minimum Support Price (MSP), the promotion of natural farming, the expansion of ‘one class-one TV channel’ programme of PM eVIDYA to enable supplementary education in Indian languages and the decisions on new train projects and cargo terminals.
