CPI (M) Central Committee member and Former Legislator Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami criticized the Union Budget presented in parliament on Tuesday, stating that it fails to address the significant challenges faced by the people of Jammu Kashmir, who are enduring severe economic distress.
Tarigami while speaking to the news agency— Kashmir News Observer (KNO) expressed his disappointment that the budget did not address the issues surrounding KCC loans for farmers, who are suffering silently with no one to listen to their grievances.
He emphasized that Kashmir’s economy is heavily dependent on agriculture, yet the budget remained silent on this crucial sector.
He further highlighted the lack of relief for fruit growers, pointing out that the government is importing apples from foreign countries while the locally grown produce in Jammu Kashmir is left to rot in storage.
“Such facilitation for foreign produce while neglecting local apples is putting growers in dire straits,” Tarigami said.
Additionally, Tarigami criticized the budget for not addressing the growing unemployment in Jammu and Kashmir or proposing measures to tackle the issue. “There are scores of daily-rated workers, ASHA workers—who will talk about them? Youth are suffering, people are suffering. The union government cannot turn a blind eye to this,” he added—(KNO)