Bangalore's poor give thumbs up to Pranab's budget
Bangalore, July 6 : Bangalore's urban poor, who reside mostly in slums, have hailed Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee's budget as pro-poor.
"Firstly, I appreciate Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee for presenting a pro-poor budget with several sops for urban poor," Isaac Arul Selva (38), a slum dweller, told IANS.
"The National Food Security scheme for providing food at cheaper rates to the poor is a commendable step on the part of the government," added Selva, the founder and editor of Slum Jagatthu (Slum World), India's first magazine that focuses only on the issues related to the urban poor.
The budget has announced a provision of 25 kg of either wheat or rice per month at Rs.3 per kg to families living below the poverty line (BPL).
Echoing Selva, septuagenarian Anand Babu of Ambedkar Nagar slum said that if implemented, the food security scheme would help the poor fight hunger and deprivation.
"Poor people are always deprived of basic food. Most of the children and women from underprivileged sections of society are mal-nourished. The food security scheme will bring some relief to the poor people, but it would have been better if 25 kg had been increased to at least 40 kg, as poor families are usually big," added Babu.
Across the slums of Ambedkar Nagar and Sanjay Gandhi Nagar, several of its residents distributed sweets as Pranab Mukherjee ended his budget announcements.
Besides the food security measures, the finance minister also offered sops for the unorganized sector and housing for the poor.
"Most of the poor people are working in unorganized sectors, including daily wage earners, hawkers and vendors. Now, the government will take care of the workers in the unorganized sectors," said Mani K, a hawker and member of "Slum Janandolan Karnataka" (SJK), a group fighting for the rights of the slum dwellers.
The hike in budgetary allocation to Rs.3,973 crore for the provision of housing and basic amenities for urban poor was welcomed.
"Housing is a major problem for the urban poor as most of them stay in makeshift houses without any sanitation facilities. The increase in allocation for urban housing is a positive step," said Selva.
"In a nut-shell, we can say that some positive steps have been taken to alleviate the condition of the poor in urban areas of the country," said Mani.
India's Silicon Valley has around 800 slums.
According to figures available with the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagar Palike or Greater Bangalore City Corporation, approximately 60,0000 people live in these slums. The city's total population is about eight million.
The slum population is projected to go up to one million by 2010, when the total population is expected to reach 10 million.
--IANS
Most Visited Articles:
Student Loan- The way to nurture and fulfill your Goals
Forex Trading- A Smart Choice of Earning
Web Hosting Tips- Are Dedicated Servers Really Worth the Penny?
Barrymore plans remake of 'Charlie's Angels' for TV
Toyota recalls Prius, three other car models
Man robbed off Rupees 400,000 in Noida
Lil Wayne To Lead Haiti Concert Before Entering Jail
Nothing wrong in betting firms sponsoring Grand Slam: Andy Roddick
Ringo Starr honoured with Hollywood Walk of Fame star
Michelle Obama under fire over obesity comments
UAE, Turkmenistan sign bilateral agreements
Senior Al Qaeda man killed in Somalia
Thilakan protests, Malayalam film body demands apology
Iran starts 20-percent uranium enrichment process
UAE, Poland strengthen economic ties
Sri Lankan parliament dissolved
Hostel warden arrested for sexually exploiting inmates
Apex court clears government way to acquire south Delhi land
Turkey joins India in battling terror, backs global convention
'Ghosts' in Punjab posing big threat to Canadian immigration
Azad shoots down Omar's proposed surrender policy
Shock defeats for Ireland, Scotland, Kenya
Pakistani court orders A.Q. Khan's medical examination
India, Africa should be partners in capacity-building: Academics
No good or bad Taliban, says Iran
Why Madhavan doesn't sign Tamil projects?
Hakimullah Mehsud dead, say Taliban sources
Katrina Kaif rescued by the forest department
Sena mobs attack theatres ahead of 'My Name Is Khan' release
Purab Kohli tries to scare pretty co-star!
Russian movie 'August 17' bags top honour at XIth MIFF
No gossip girls for Anjana Sukhani
Genetic engineering panel should be more transparent: Ramesh
Toh Baat Pakki director floored by Tabu!
Priyanka Chopra awed with My Name is Khan
Vidya Balan is not apologetic about her lust
Kashmir government gets 10-year extension of tax package
Udita Goswami ready with Chase!
'Rath yatra' to herald Gujarat golden jubilee
Pallavi Subhash childless in Sony's next!
Vijay and Asin in 'Bodyguard' remake
'We will not allow screening of My Name Is Khan'
Dr.Riddhima Marries Dr. Siddhant?