New Delhi, 2 February 2021: In the general budget, where the government kept its full focus on bringing the tracked economy back on track, on the other hand, it left no stone unturned to water its politics. The tone of the election was seen in the budget as the Finance Minister opened the treasury for the electoral states. A huge allocation of Rs 2.27 lakh crore was announced to construct significant highways in West Bengal, Assam, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala. Moreover, a Rs 1000 crore welfare scheme has also been announced to woo Bengal and Assam women involved in tea plantations.
Aiming at increasing the political capital of the BJP in these electoral states, the Finance Minister showed the highest generosity in opening the vault for Tamil Nadu. The Finance Minister allocated 1.03 lakh crore rupees to Tamil Nadu for highways and said that several economic corridors would be built in the state to expand national highways. The construction of the Madurai-Kollam and Chittoor-Thatchur corridors will start next year. Similarly, the Finance Minister announced Rs 65,000 crore for 1100 km of highways in Kerala, including the 600 km Kerala-highway highway of the Mumbai-Kanyakumari Corridor.
The opposition also called it electoral ‘Lollipop’ while Sitharaman was making budget announcements. The Finance Minister announced Rs 25,000 crore for the construction and expansion of 675 km of highways in Bengal. It also includes plans to expand the Kolkata-Siliguri highway. The Finance Minister also announced the expansion and construction of the state’s national highways for Rs 34000 crore in the next three years.
The cultivation of seagrass for betting fishers of Tamil Nadu and an allocation of Rs 1000 crore for the welfare of women workers working in Assam and Bengal’s tea estates has also been announced.