"The interim budget is directionless, disappointing and against the expectation of people. It is an unsuccessful effort to hide UPA government's non-performance.
Several announcements were made to woo people ahead of the elections but the interests of farmers and poor were ignored," she said in a statement.
There is no vision in the budget for strengthening of economy. No effective step was taken to deal with the issue of unemployment, she said.
Congress welcomed the interim budget saying it was dedicated to common man, women, youth, students, farmers and others.
CPI (M) dubbing the interim budget as poll-oriented, said it was a disappointing budget which gives no relief to the common man.
"The budget is disappointing and an election budget. The finance minister has attempted to hide economic failure and corruption which took place during UPA-II rule.
It is clear from the budget that Congress wants to control disturbing financial conditions through neo-liberal economic policies which are responsible for deterioration of economy," a CPI (M) release said here.
"This is election year, therefore the budget is balanced. The government gave some relief by reducing duty on automobiles, soap, Indian-made mobile handsets," president of the Sangh, Babu Lal Gupta said.
Federation of Rajasthan Trade and Industry welcomed some of the announcements of the budget while terming others as disappointing.
"There should have been more focus in the budget for skill and technology development. The Finance Minister should have announced tax reduction on transportation, cold storage and warehousing whereas jewelers of the state were expecting cut on import duty on gold and silver but it was not fulfilled," 40 office bearers said in a joint statement.
You’ve reached your limit of {{free_limit}} free articles this month.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
Already subscribed? Log in
Subscribe to read the full story →
Smart Quarterly
₹900
3 Months
₹300/Month
Smart Essential
₹2,700
1 Year
₹225/Month
Super Saver
₹3,900
2 Years
₹162/Month
Renews automatically, cancel anytime
Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans
Exclusive premium stories online
Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors


Complimentary Access to The New York Times
News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic
Business Standard Epaper
Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share


Curated Newsletters
Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox
Market Analysis & Investment Insights
In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor


Archives
Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997
Ad-free Reading
Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements


Seamless Access Across All Devices
Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app
