Jamshedpur, Mar 3 (PTI) Former Jharkhand Chief Minister Champai Soren on Monday described the state budget as "directionless," saying it has "nothing for the tribals, farmers, labourers and youths." Soren equated the Jharkhand budget to a drum, "which looks very big from outside but hollow inside." State finance minister Radhakrishna Kishore tabled a Rs 1.45 lakh-crore budget for 2025-26 fiscal, compared to Rs 1.28 lakh-crore in 2024-25.

In a post on X, Soren said, "This is a directionless budget, which has nothing for the tribals, natives, farmers, labourers, and youths of the state. Many big announcements have been made in it. For the last several years, the same story is told every time, but nothing comes out of it." Soren, who is the BJP legislator from Seraikela constituency, further said, "Someone should remind the government that announcing big schemes on paper is not enough, and implementing these schemes is also their responsibility." He also asked, "How many schemes from the previous budgets were completed?" Accusing the state government of misleading the people in the name of the "Abua budget" (the own budget of indigenous people), Soren said, "What can we expect when the beneficiaries of green cards in the state are not getting ration, and the elderly, disabled and widows have been deprived of pensions for the last several months?" He alleged that only "empty promises" were being made in the areas of drinking water, education, healthcare, and employment.

"Dozens of drinking water schemes remain incomplete, forcing people to fetch water from wells. There are no medicines in hospitals, and pictures of patients going on cots and chaos in hospitals are common," he rued.

"Overall, this is not a budget but a drum, which looks very big from outside but hollow inside," Soren added.

Former health minister Banna Gupta praised the JMM-led coalition government, stating that the budget, which was 13 per cent higher than the last fiscal, was "far-sighted and considering the interest of the common man." "The budget reflects the intention of the Hemant Soren-led government to deliver in the interest of the state and its people and extend benefits of the welfare schemes," Congress leader Gupta said in a statement. PTI BS MNB

State budget directionlessness criticized for failing to deliver on tribal, rural and social welfare promises, urging implementation. State budget criticized as directionless and substantively hollow, alleging announced schemes are not implemented and fail to reach tribal populations, farmers, labourers, youths, green-card beneficiaries, the elderly, disabled and widows; specific operational failures cited include interrupted pension payments, incomplete drinking-water projects, shortages of medicines and chaotic hospital conditions. A contrasting view describes the budget as far-sighted and welfare-oriented, asserting a significant increase and governmental intent to deliver benefits through welfare schemes.