Fayaz Bukhari
SRINAGAR, July 11: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today expressed his dis-satisfaction over the first Union budget of the NDA Government and said that the State was not given its due especially in health sector and upliftment of youth.
Omar told reporters on the sidelines of a function at Hazratbal that there were one or two things which the State was expecting from the budget relating to up-gradation of hospitals and the youth but it was not provided.
“We have not heard anything on that yet. We hope that when the Finance Minister has talked about AIIMS-pattern hospitals, our two hospitals will also be included,” he said.
Omar said that he had sought package for upgradation of two hospitals in Srinagar and Jammu on the pattern of AIIMS from Finance Minister, Arun Jaitley, during his recent visit to Kashmir.
“He had talked about a hospital on the pattern of AIIMS. I had told him that we have Super-Speciality Hospitals at both places, Jammu and Srinagar. I had said that rather than building a new hospital, give us a package to upgrade the two hospitals on AIIMS pattern”, he said.
On the Finance Minister’s announcement for allocation of Rs. 200 crore for upgrading indoor and outdoor stadiums to international standards in Jammu and in Kashmir Valley, Omar said: “When the Finance Minister was here on his first visit and I met him, I had asked him for a package on sports infrastructure and which he has accepted.”
On Rs. 500 crore package for Kashmiri migrants announced by Finance Minister, Omar said he would like to know the fine prints of the package because there already was a package and the State had asked for its upgradation because the amount earmarked earlier was less.
“If these Rs. 500 crores have been earmarked under a new package, then it is a good thing and I hope our migrants take advantage of it. But if it is on the past pattern, then I am sorry, this package would not benefit us,” the Chief Minister said.
Omar said that BJP had promised good days for the country but it has not been reflected in the Union budget presented yesterday.
“We do not see ‘acche din’ yet. And the way monsoon has played, we should not expect acche din sometime soon. They talked about acche din before the elections, but after winning the elections, they said they will have to give us a bitter-pill first to achieve acche din”, said Chief Minister, adding “this budget neither talks about ‘acche din’ nor has it given us a feeling of that bitter-pill. It has not been even two months yet. Let some time pass then we will see.”
Omar during his speech hit out at People’s Democratic Party (PDP) for opposing the decisions of the Government taken for the benefit of general masses and holistic development of the State.
“Why you get irritated and frustrated when we take decisions for public good”, the Chief Minister questioned PDP and said that the Government will continue to take people friendly measures.
“We are committed to the holistic development of the State and well being of people. We will take all required measures in this regard”, Omar said adding that exchequer is of people and “we will make all required spending to fulfill the demands of people.”
The Chief Minister said that the PDP has no reason to worry on this count. “The leadership of PDP actually gets frustrated by the historic people friendly decisions of the Government, as such, raise irrelevant questions and try to astray people”, he said.
Omar, without naming former Jammu and Kashmir Bank chairman, Haseeb Drabu, said some leaders and turncoats in PDP who have changed their ideology for power have assumed themselves to be the Finance and Economic Ministers of the State even before contesting Assembly elections.
“My Government will spend every penny for the welfare of people. We are not like our opponents to utilize public money for self ends”, said the Chief Minister adding “I will do whatever necessary to transform the economic condition of the State and its people.”
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