EARLY TIMES REPORT
SRINAGAR, Feb 6: BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh on Saturday said the 2021-22 Union budget will usher in a new era of development in the Union territories of Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.
He said there has been an increase of 137 per cent in the budget for the health sector, which has "happened for the first time since independence".
"The budget has increased from Rs 94,452 crore to Rs 2,23,846 crore. No other government has ever done it. This is a huge decision which needs to be appreciated and its biggest beneficiary will be poor people of the country," Chugh told reporters here as part of a series of press conferences by central ministers and leaders on the budget.
He said the total budget allocation of Rs 30,757 crore for the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir would help boost the economic growth in the region.
Ladakh has been allocated Rs 5,958 crore in the Union budget, he said, adding that the proposal of setting up a central university in Leh will help students of the region gain access to quality education.
"The government further recognising its commitment to fiscal federalism has provided funds to the UTs targeting connectivity, rural wellbeing as well as boosting the tourism sector," he said.
The BJP leader said as a key initiative in the petroleum and natural gas sector, the announcement of gas pipeline, which has been pending for over a decade, will prove to be a big boon for the economy of the region.
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