The most awaited Budget of 2020-21 had paid off to the critics. It was noticed that a big chunk of the fund was directed to be invested in the poll-bound states. And all the fingers pointed it out at the very first glance. Now the question is that is this a planned idea by a mastermind?
Before getting into the explanation, it is important to know the poll-bound states that will be discussed: Assam, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. The focus of the entire country was on the union budget, however, the budget seemed to be inclined towards some states and these are mainly the states which will have their poll in the coming few months. The finance minister announced 65,000 crores investment in Kerala for the national highway, 34,000cr in Assam, 1.03cr in Tamil Nadu for 3,500km (which includes Madurai-Kollam and Chittoor-Thatchur corridors) of the national highway, and 25,000cr in West Bengal, including up-gradation of the existing Kolkata-Siliguri road.
The government said that an advanced traffic management system with speed radars, variable message signboards, and GPS-enabled recovery vans would also be installed on all new highways. Construction in Tamil Nadu will start next year. East Coast corridor from Kharagpur (West Bengal) to Vijayawada, East-West Corridor from Bhusaval (Maharashtra) to Kharagpur to Dankuni (in West Bengal), and North-South corridor from Itarsi (Madhya Pradesh) to Vijayawada are the freight corridor projects that will be undertaken in future. Apart from investment in road, Finance Minister also proposed a new social security scheme for women employed in tea plantations in Bengal and Assam. Although, the investment is made to make the infrastructure of the states stronger. However, the question that arises is why the focus was so much on poll bound states?
To this, investment in infrastructure, many people have raised their concerns stating it to be a tactic of the ruling government to use the budget for their political purpose. This massive infrastructure structure had made everyone doubt the truth behind the government's stance to improve the infrastructure of such states. The point that comes out is that the budget should be made for the country as a whole and not for a few states.
-BY BHARGAB & SIMRAN
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