Raipur, Feb 29 (IANS) Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh flayed the union budget presented Friday, saying there was no provision for a joint action-plan to deal with the Maoist problem, which Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had identified as the biggest internal security threat. “The union government has failed to address the problem by making no provision to deal with the Maoist problem even as several states reel under the threat of the red army,” Singh, who heads one of the worst Maoist insurgency-hit states, told reporters.

But the state’s opposition Congress welcomed the budget, especially hailing the Rs.600-billion loan waiver announced for farmers.

“It has taken care of all sections of society but the farmers got the deserving benefits,” the party said.

“The loan waiver for farmers has reflected how Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh are concerned about the problems of farmers,” Congress leader and former Chhattisgarh chief minister Ajit Jogi said in a statement.

The Chhattisgarh Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) also appreciated the budget.

The CCCI in a statement said it “welcomes the budget proposals, mainly for focusing on health, education and irrigation sectors with allocation of increased funds, but infrastructure sector too should be taken care of with topmost priority”.

• Manmohan Singh
• Sonia Gandhi
• Ajit