The former finance minister, P Chidambaram, did not retain his criticism of the 2025-26 budget, accusing the government of neglecting the key sectors, in particular Indian railways. “The railways have been short,” he said, pointing to what he described as an inadequate budgetary allowance which does not follow the pace of inflation or the growing needs of the sector.
By decomposing the figures, Chidambaram highlighted the minimum increase in rail expenditure: in 2024-25: Rs 2.06 961 crore; RE 2024-25: RS 2.12 786 CRORE; Be 2025-26: RS 2.13 552 Brove. “The increase in a meager crore of RS 766 in 2025-2026 will not even take into account inflation,” he said. “The allowance will be lower than that of last year in real terms.”
The leaders’ leader’s remarks arise despite the assertion of the Minister of Finance Nirmala Sitharaman that public spending on capital expenses remain strong, emphasizing its multiplier effect.
Chidambaram critics extend beyond the railways. He accused the government of abandoning flagship programs like Poshan, Jal Jeevan Mission, NSAP, PMGSY, CROP Insurance Scheme, UREA Subvention and PM Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana – initiatives once launched with a lot of brass band. “The government has lost confidence in the programs announced in previous budget speeches. The government’s ability has decreased considerably, “he said.
Regarding employment and skills development, Chidambaram said that the government had deceived young people with programs like PLI, the new job generation program and Skill India. “Against a crore of 26,018 RS 26,018 crores, real expenses will only be Rs 15,286 crores,” he noted, suggesting a wide difference between promises and delivery.
He also criticized the government’s approach to economic policy, alleging that the Prime Minister and the Minister of Finance ignored the solid councils of the Chief Economic Advisor. “The CEA call was clear:” Log from the way. ” Instead, the budget is full of new programs beyond the government’s capacity, “said Chidambaram, adding that he had at least 15 new projects and 4 new funds.
“The FM works on the worn path. She is not willing to free herself as we did in 1991 and 2004. She is not willing to deregulate. She is not willing to get out of the people, in particular entrepreneurs, MPMs and start-ups. Bureaucracy will be satisfied with this budget, “he said.
Chidambaram concluded a pessimistic note on India’s growth prospects, declaring: “The economy will occur on the old way and will not deliver more than the usual growth of 6 or 6.5% in 2025-26 . In our opinion, it is a government without new ideas and no desire to reach beyond its scope. »»
While Sitharaman defended the budgetary prudence of the budget, focusing on sustained capital expenses, the strong criticism of Chidambaram reflects an increasing skepticism on the question of whether government allowances can achieve the ambitious development objectives of the country .
