Himachal Pradesh was ignored in the Union Budget : Kuldeep Tanwar

The Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the Kisan Sabha have termed the Union Budget as anti-people and anti-union. Reacting to the Union Budget, Dr. Kuldeep Singh Tanwar, State President of the Kisan Sabha and a CPI(M) official, said that the Ninth Union Budget presented by the Finance Minister clearly seeks to benefit a few big business houses and the wealthy and affluent at the expense of the working people and the socially exploited sections of society, as well as larger national economic interests.
He stated that the Union Budget completely ignored the interests of small and hilly states like Himachal Pradesh. Himachal Pradesh is a revenue-deficit state and is facing a severe economic crisis. The Finance Minister has allocated nothing to the state in this budget, and the revenue deficit grant under the 16th Finance Commission, as requested by the government, has not been explicitly mentioned. The state has suffered significant losses due to disasters caused by heavy rains since 2023. According to state government estimates, disaster losses between 2023 and 2025 exceed ₹18,000 crore. Despite the state government’s repeated requests to the central government for a special disaster relief package, no grant has been provided.
Dr. Tanwar stated that horticulture and tourism are two key sectors contributing to the state’s economy. The budget presented by the Finance Minister completely ignored the tourism and horticulture sectors. Following the signing of free trade agreements with New Zealand and the European Union, import duties were reduced. He explained that tourism in Himachal Pradesh is in a bad state due to poor connectivity and the disaster caused by heavy rains. The budget makes no mention of developing air and rail connectivity in the state. The road network is also not in a good condition to promote tourism.