Ratan Lal's Pics 1 & 2 show CM Raghubar Das presenting the Budget 2018-19 and the empty seats of the opposition on floor of the Jharkhand Assembly on January 23,2018.

Despite facing protest and criticism raised by the opposition,Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das today presented an annual budget for the fiscal 2018-19 in the assembly,laying emphasis on ‘development of villages and farmers.”

”The state aims to eradicate  poverty through rural development”,said the CM while presenting the budget 2018-19 on floor of House today when all seats of the Opposition looked empty as its legislatures boycotted the budget presentation by the CM Das.

The CM explained that the mission to increase income of the farmers will be a collective responsibility. He also highlighted other rural development schemes his government and the centre had been implementing during the past three years.

Minutes before Das submitted the annual budget,the Opposition parties led by its leader Hemant Soren picked up a new issue connected with Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission and Jharkhand Public Service Commission. Soren alleged that these two government institutions were meant to provide jobs to youths.”But both these institutions were playing games with their fate and future”,said Soren  adding  that the local youths were not getting priority in appointment.

-----------------------------Advertisement------------------------------------Abua Awas Yojna 

“Even in the reserved seats,the local youths don’t seem to be getting any advantage”,he alleged mentioning that employment of the youths did not figure in the list of priorities of this government.

In any case,January 23 happens to be the birth anniversary of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose. In the previous year also the state government had presented the budget for 2017-18 on this day.This time,it was the fourth consecutive budget tabled by Das who also holds the finance portfolio in the assembly.

Prior to presenting the budget 2018-19,Das is on record declaring that the budget for 2018-19 would be focused on the villages and the villagers and schemes and plans for the development of the rural economy.

The annual budget has proposed to allocate funds for the new appointments it had made. Top finance officers confided that  the ‘biggest challenge before the state government is how to increase its revenue and come out with new sources of revenue collection.”

must read