Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) (Charuni) slammed the Centre government’s budget while saying that it has nothing for the country’s farmers but statistics only.
In its press release issued from Kurukshetra on Tuesday, BKU Charuni said, “It was clear from the speech of (Union) finance minister the government is working to take revenge from the farmers due to its defeat in Kisan Andolan (farmers’ protest). The Finance minister did not disclose any statistics in her speech and everything became clear when the statistics came out.”
BKU Charuni said the budget for agriculture and some of its attached sectors has been reduced to 3.84 per cent as compared to 4.26 per cent in the last year and similarly, the budget for rural development is decreased from 5.59 per cent in the last year to 5.23 per cent this year.
The farm union said that the budget of Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) has been reduced by Rs 500 crore from Rs 16,000 crore in the last year to Rs 15,500 crore this year.
The farm union also lashed at the Centre for reducing the MGNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act 2005) budget from Rs 97,034 crore to Rs 72,034 crore.
It said that the Centre government also reduced the budget under its PSS (price support scheme) and MIS (market invention scheme) which gave the price of crops to farmers, from Rs 3,595 crore to Rs 1,500 crore.
The union said that the budget for umbrella scheme AASHA (Annadata Aay Sanrakshan Abhiyan) made by former Union finance minister Arun Jaitley to ensure minimum support price (MSP) to farmers, has been reduced from Rs 400 crore to Rs 1 crore only.
It said the contribution of the government in the Agri Infrastructure Fund has been reduced from Rs 900 crore to Rs 500 crore.
The farm union questioned that the government talks about supporting the cooperative societies but it reduced the budget for farmers’ producers’ organisations (FPOs) from Rs 700 crore last year to Rs 500 crore this year.
About the budget marked for stopping the burning of crop residue (parali), BKU Charuni said last year the Centre had marked Rs 700 crore budget, but it has been reduced to zero this year. BKU Charuni spokesman Rakesh Kumar Bains said the government is confusing farmers in statistics.
“Union finance minister said that record 1,208 lakh metric tonne (MT) wheat and paddy would be procured from the farmers in the year 2022. Whereas, as per the statistics of the last year (2021), 433 lakh MT wheat and 873 lakh MT paddy were procured from the farmers i.e. a total of 1,306 lakh MT of grains were procured. The government is throwing dust in the eyes of the farmers with the magic of statistics and this time too, the farmers have been disappointed with the Union Budget because no budget provision has been made by the government for setting up a new APMC (agricultural produce market committee) market”, said Rakesh Bains.