As I have said, this is not a proper budget. It is rather a bureaucratic budget, which is not conisered by the political leadership at any stage. Yes, certainly, Shri. R. Venkatraman, the Finance Minister, as the political leader is handling it, but at the preparation stage it was not in his hands. In fact, that is how he explained it on the first day when he introduced the Assam budget. So, I would request him to give more thought to this problem.
Coming to the budget proper of Maharashtra, the ex-chief Minister, Shri Sharad Pawar, had issued a statement that no new items have been included in the budget. When a criticism of this type comes from a person who was handling he matter, it needs due consideration. Well, the Finance Minister might point at some minor points and say that these are the new items here and there. Some authority of the Maharashtra Government have circulated a note, which I have with me, and I find that there is nothing new in it.
Here, I would invite attention to one aspect. The elected Government of Maharashtra was giving priority to the problems of what they call, defaulters. A large number of small agriculturists and the co-operative movement dealing with agriculturists is in a terrible mess today.
Sir, one thing should be taken care of in this country more particularly in those areas which are drought prone areas, because in drought prone areas the problems also becomes serious. Even when there is no drought, the small-agriculturist, the agriculturist who has got about a couple of acres of non-irrigated land or three acres of such land, even when there is good rain, he cannot maintain his family on income from agricultural operations on that land.
In the field of industry, we try to deal with the sick industrial units. May I request the Finance Minister, because it is the political leadership which must give lead in this matter, that instead of treating the sick industries you better treat the sick individual industrial units, you also better treat the sick individual agriculturist because he is also in an industry, and try to find out a way for those agriculturist. The Government can certainly find out a way for them, and that way should be only that some of their non-recoverable arrears, must be written of.
That is the only way. You give incentives for starting industries in backward areas and you certainly write off or you certainly give exemption in taxes. Here only the legal concept of whatever is due is to be recovered. Sir, this is very inhuman and when you say you want to give priority to the agricultural sector, this particular aspect must be given special attention to. A scheme has been included in a very mutilated form I would ask him to call the officers and find out, in what original form this scheme was contemplated.