Madam, the Hon. Finance Minister in his budget speech had admitted that the taxes he has levied are of an exceptional character and the himself has stated that the taxation proposals of the other four put together, and he has justified his rather heavy taxation on the ground that the defence and the development needs of the country require such a heavy burden. Madam, I entirely agree with the Hon. Finance Minister that exceptional efforts for resources mobilization have to be made in view of the critical situation through which we are passing and, therefore, I have no hesitation in supporting the general approach which has guided the Bill which is now before this House. At the same time, Madam, it is necessary to examine the conditions that will be necessary in order to mobilise these resources so that ultimately it may not be in our efforts to mobilise resources, and the generation of additional resources which would be needed in future for our defence and development purpose may become very difficult. It is in this regard that it will be necessary, while considering the proposals contained in this bill, to review the general health of the economy and the impact that these proposals are likely to make on the economic conditions in our country. We are told again and again by the agriculture minister that everything was all right as far as the agricultural sector was concerned, that the food position was very sound, that the other agricultural products were making rapid progress and that there was no need for any anxiety. It was, therefore, with some shock that the country read about the proceedings of the aic which met in New Delhi wherein this question was pointedly referred to by the planning minister as well as by the minister of Food and Agriculture. From the discussions that appeared in the newspapers, we found that there was something very seriously wrong with our agricultural sector and that it was not making that headway which it was expected to make and which it claimed it was making and therefore as a result of the stagnation in this sector. Many tragic accidents have taken place on the roads, especially in recent times in the neighbourhood of big towns and large cities.
