CM Omar announced free rides for women in all government-owned transport services and free electricity of 200 units to AAY families.
Jammu: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has announced several welfare measures for women, AAY families, and the general public of the union territory in his first budget. He tabled the maiden budget of his government in the J&K Legislative Assembly on Friday.
In his one-hour and 38-minute speech, he announced free rides for women in all government-owned transport services, including e-buses being run in Jammu and Srinagar under smart city initiatives from April 1 onwards. “I also announce the enhancement of the marriage assistance scheme for girls from Rs 50000 to Rs 75000,” he said.
Acting on his pre-poll promises, Omar, who also holds the finance portfolio, announced free electricity of 200 units to AAY families, but he didn’t mention anything about BPL and above-the-poverty-line families.
“I also announce zero stamp duty on gifted properties among the blood relations, which was earlier between three and seven per cent. This is aimed at bringing down the property disputes,” the CM said.
He also announced a reduction of petrol prices by Rs. 1 and Rs. 2 on high-speed diesel.In a first reaction to the J&K budget, the Peoples Democratic Party criticised the government for allegedly failing to fulfil its poll. The party described the budget as ‘anti-people’ with a selective approach.
A PDP spokesperson said that if the government truly intended to help the people, it should have ensured that its promise was fulfilled in its entirety rather than limiting the beneficiaries to a fraction.
“This exposes the massive gap between the promises made in the National Conference’s election manifesto and the reality of their governance,” he added.
On 200 units of free electricity for AAY beneficiaries, the PDP spokesperson dismissed it as an “election gimmick.” “Out of 16 lakh ration card holders, merely 95,000 will benefit, which is just 5-7% of the total population,” the party added.
The PDP accused the government of ‘misleading’ people during the elections, asking why the scheme was not extended to all households. “Why were 127,000 AAY ration card holders removed from the list right before this announcement?” the party asked. The PDP spokesperson said the people deserve honest governance, not broken promises.
