Shimla, Feb 1 (PTI) The Union Budget presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday completely ignored the interests of hill states, particularly Himachal Pradesh, the state's Congress chief Pratibha Singh said.

The Centre has not provided any financial assistance to Himachal Pradesh to deal with the recent natural disasters nor proposed any new development scheme, she claimed.

"There is also no relief for the state's apple growers and farmers," she added.

The budget discriminated against states governed by the Congress while Bihar, where assembly elections are due later this year, was given special attention, the former MP alleged. PTI COR SZM SZM

Budget discrimination alleged: exclusion of hill states from disaster relief and agricultural support, raising regional equity concerns. The Union Budget is alleged to have overlooked hill states by not providing targeted financial assistance or new development schemes for recent natural disasters, and by failing to offer relief to key agricultural sectors such as apple growers; the complaint frames this as discriminatory fiscal allocation favoring certain states and reflecting political bias rather than equitable regional support.