Flawed Revenue Projections Undermine Budget 2026: Jiten Chaudhury
Agartala Feb 1: Leader of the Opposition (LoP) and CPIM Tripura State Secretary, Jitendra Chaudhury criticised the Union Budget 2026, alleging that flawed revenue projections have weakened the government’s ability to deliver on key public spending commitments.
Reacting on Budget 2026-27 presented in the Parliament on Feb 1, Chaudhury said the revised estimates in the Budget documents indicate that the Centre’s initial expectations of revenue mobilisation from multiple sources were not realised, resulting in pressure on both planned allocations and actual expenditure.
“The outcome was largely predictable given the Centre’s past performance, asserting that the proposals offer little relief to ordinary citizens” he said. The LoP claimed that the Budget proposals lacked substantive policy backing. Overall, he described it as ‘disappointing and devoid of hope’.
According to him, the shortfall in anticipated revenue has translated into constrained spending across several sectors that directly impact the lives of ordinary citizens.
The CPIM leader further contended that the Budget does not offer any new or transformative policy direction for agriculture, social welfare and other public-interest sectors. He argued that despite persistent challenges faced by farmers, rural households and vulnerable communities, the proposals fail to introduce measures that could meaningfully address structural weaknesses or improve livelihoods.
Maintaining that agriculture remains heavily dependent on subsidies and public investment, he said allocations related to fertiliser subsidies and irrigation do not present any significant improvement, while the overall framework of the Budget appears tilted in favour of corporate interests. Chaudhury said the absence of fresh initiatives reflects a lack of policy imagination at a time when the sector is grappling with rising input costs and income uncertainty.
He added that social welfare programmes also appear to have received limited attention, raising concerns over the government’s commitment to inclusive growth.
Referring to the recently implemented VBGRAMG scheme, which shifts part of the financial responsibility onto state governments, Chaudhury said the Budget does not provide any notable support or relief in this regard.
He further pointed out that several states have struggled to come close to the Goods and Services Tax (GST) revenue targets set at the beginning of the financial year, underscoring what he described as structural weaknesses in the government’s fiscal planning.
Chaudhury asserted that without realistic revenue planning and a clear focus on people-centric sectors, the Budget risks widening economic stress rather than alleviating it. He called for a more transparent fiscal framework that prioritises sustainable revenue generation and targeted public spending to support agriculture, social security and other essential services.