Union Budget, 2019-20: Shameless betrayal and criminal negligence on farmer’s genuine demands
Stop insulting farmers – Peasant anger will overthrow the Narendra Modi led NDA Government
The All India Kisan Sabha considers as too meager the lollipop offer of Rs 6000/year to farmers who hold land up to 2 hectors (or five acres) offered in the Union Budget 2019-20 by the NDA Government. Rs 500 per month or Rs 15 per day for farmer family is not going to resolve the severe crisis faced by the farming community. It is just another Jumla by the BJP led Government.
The genuine demand of the peasantry is to implement the promise of C2+50% to all crops as recommended by MS Swaminathan Commission and sufficient arrangement for procurement of produce so that farmers will have remunerative income and cultivation will be profitable. If farmers are getting their due then they will be capable of paying back their loans with interest and live life with dignity. Instead of doing this the Modi Government resort to populist appeasement measures and it cannot be accepted.
Another important demand of write off the debt liability of the peasantry also is unheeded in the Union Budget and AIKS considers it as shameless betrayal. In 2014, BJP had promised freedom for the peasantry from indebtedness and in last five years, the Government maintained criminal negligence on this important demand.
As far as the promise of Rs 6000/ year is concerned, it amounts to only 3% -5% of the total cost of production of different crops. Apart from that land records are not linked with aadhar and bank accounts hence government machinery may not be able to identify the deserving land holders under the specified category immediately so that it could be implemented within 31st March 2019. The scheme will exclude agriculture laborers, tenant farmers and landless families. In dry and desert regions the ceiling of two hectors is so low resulting exclusion of most vulnerable farmers.
In Kerala, the state government procures paddy at Rs.800/-more than centrally fixed MSP of Rs 1700/ quintal. The grama panchayath gives Rs 17,000/hector as incentive for paddy farmers over subsidies. Comparing to such pro peasant measures, the present proposal of Modi Government of providing meager sum to farmers is like promising small bribe to get their votes after robbing farmers of their income for last five years.
If the allocation for the money transfer is kept aside the actual allocation for agriculture, rural development, education, health are reduced in real terms considering the inflation. This will have long term negative impact on agriculture sector and the crisis will be grave in the years to come.
The allocation for MNREGA in proportion to total budget allocation is only 2.15% which is less than last budget of 2.75%. The Government has been suppressing the report of the employment survey conducted by NSSO which shows that the unemployment rate in India today is higher than the levels in last 45 years. Given this, the Finance minister was being utterly dishonest when he claimed that this Government has transformed the youth from job seekers into job creators.
AIKS calls upon the peasantry across the country to expose the Modi Government for deceiving its promises and ensure it will never come back in the forth coming general election.
S/d
Hannan Mollah, General Secretary Ashok Dhawale, President
