National Health Protection scheme attempt to "hoodwink poor": Pondy CM Narayanasamy

Puducherry Chief Minister V Narayanasamy today said the announcement of National Health Protection scheme in the Union Budget for 2018-2019 is an attempt to "hoodwink the poorer sections and those coming under the BPL category."

Addressing reporters here, he said, "There is no firm indication on how the Centre would manage the scheme as the budgetary allocations are utterly insufficient and hence it is a clear case of hoodwinking the poorer sections and aims at luring the voters during the upcoming Parliamentary polls."

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had on February 1 announced that the Centre will launch flagship National Health Protection scheme intended to cover 10 crore poor and vulnerable families and 50 crore beneficiaries.

In his response to the budget, Narayanasamy said also employees in both the Central and State government services "are utterly let down as there is no sops in Income Tax for the employees."

Farmers too were disappointed, he said adding it was clear that all the sections are displeased with the budget.

He alleged that the NDA government at the Centre was letting "those evading payment of taxes go scot free but inflicting hardships on the salaried sections without showing any relief in the Income Tax structure."

Taking strong exception to the criticism by AINRC leader N Rangasamy against the Congress government, Narayanasamy said the previous AINRC rule under Rangasamy was a "total failure."

"Corruption and irregularities in implementing various schemes had cost the Exchequer," he said adding a detailed probe would be conducted soon into the modalities adopted in implementation of "free mixies and grinders" scheme for families during the previous AINRC rule.