Dissent over state budget
- The People's Chronicle Editorial :: March 13, 2025 -

REGARDLESS of the outcries by the two Lok Sabha MPs of Manipur, Dr Bimol Akoijam and Alfred Kanngam Arthur, and other senior Congress leaders, alleging inadequate budgetary allocation, the general population would be hoping that points raised by the opposition parliamentarians would be digested by the central government and the myriad issues besieging the strife-torn state addressed compassionately.

With the state bereft of major industrial units and agricultural output unable to meet the demand of the burgeoning population, the people are compelled to be contented with the centre's periodical sops.

For the past many decades the state hasn't been able to contribute anything substantial to the national exchequer, consequently denting both bragging and bargaining rights when it comes to demanding surplus budgetary provisions to cope with the sub-par performance in terms of economic development.

Nevertheless, it's heartening to hear the two Congress parliamentarians from the state out-rightly criticising presentation of the state's budget by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, and accusing the centre of undermining the urgent need for bailing out Manipur from the current economic mess.

Ever since its existence as a full-fledged state, Manipur has been depending heavily and accepting whatever fund is allocated by the centre as is evident from successive governments unable to raise objection even if union government's allocations are far less than the requirement.

However, the two Congress MPs made it clear that they won't remain silent when the state is discriminated upon or the centre remains indifferent to suffering of the commoners, especially in the backdrop of the ethnic conflict crippling the state's fragile economy.

Along with citing procedural oversight vis-a-vis discussion of the state's budget at the national stage rather than facilitate deliberations in the state assembly on the annual plan and non-plan allocations, the MP duo charged the Centre of lacking the sincerity in addressing the distressful situation besieging the state.

With limited sources for tax collection and agricultural outputs nothing to write about, it could be safely stated that the state's economy will continue to show downward trajectory in case the unrest situation could not be addressed at the shortest possible time. Under such a challenging situation, every sane person had been hoping that the centre would extend all out support for putting the state back on the track.

While addressing grievances of those directly impacted by the violence is of utmost importance, the long term recovery plan should be centred on improving infrastructure in the agriculture sector without which there is no way Manipur could join the developmental race.

This is exactly the reason why the two MPs expressed dismay over the budgetary allocation notearmarking sufficient fund for infrastructure development.

Nevertheless, as appealed by one of the MPs, the finance minister will hopefully revise the budget, and ensure transparency and inclusion, as the need of the hour for the people of Manipur is not only financial empathy by the centre but to demonstrate genuine concerns, take effective measures to revitalise the economy, prioritise development of agriculture and allied sector and more importantly impress the public that the centre could be relied upon as and when needed.