New Delhi, July 09: BJP stalwart Murli Manhar Joshi today questioned many of the premises on which the foundations of the Budget 2009-10 were laid, including the targetted four per cent growth rate of the agricultural sector, elite driven consumption to prop up the economy and stepping up exports in the face of deepening global recession. Initiating the discussion on the General Budget in the Lok Sabha, Mr Joshi offered assistance of the BJP-ruled States in tackling the challenges facing the nation, provided the government makes the right moves. He said the government should look for indigenous solutions, based on local resources–both intellectual and material– and not pursue the Western model blindly, which will spell disaster.
This is not to say that India should break its links with the global community, but that too much reliance on the Western model of development would not be desirable. Mr Joshi said four per cent growth in agriculture was not achievable in view of the steep decline in area, productivity and decline in water levels in most parts of the country. The only states where acreage and productivity had not declined were Punjab and Haryana.
—Agencies