Minister for Social Welfare and ARI Trainings and Science and Technology, Sajad Gani lone today felicitated Dr Haseeb Drabu for presenting a people-friendly budget.Terming it as a distinctive exercise in fiscal excellence, the minister said that financial benevolence has been blended with the desire of the government to plug structural loopholes. He said the budget is essentially aiming at reforming and restructuring of the financial architecture. He said the Finance Minister has taken in consideration the aspirations and concerns of all the stakeholders and has made it a “Pro-people Budget” in real sense. Lone said systematic slack has been staring at us for decades and that first time an attempt has been made to counter the slackness and malaise.The Minister hailed the decision of implementing 7th Pay Commission, release of DA to the employees, abolition of toll tax at lower Munda and Heerpur, waiving off of interest and penalty on power arrears by the industrialists, hoteliers and tourist resort owners; power amnesty to small scale industrial units, subvention on education loan, abolition of toll on export of fruits produced in state, bringing power tariff of tourism sector at par with industry and other several new initiatives.He said the Budget has been prepared keeping in mind not only the people’s interests but both the short and long term economic objectives of the state and an attempt has been made to further boost the tourism sector in the state besides providing benefit to the neglected class of the society including the transgender.Lone further stated that the budget presented by Dr Drabu is bound to boost the economic sentiments across different sectors.