Noida, Feb 1 (PTI) Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait on Thursday described the interim Union budget as merely an “election gimmick” and called it a betrayal with the farmers, youths and women of the country.
While presenting the interim budget in Parliament, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the government will formulate a strategy to make India self-reliant in edible oils by boosting domestic output of oilseeds and launch a comprehensive programme to support dairy farmers.
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She said the government will further promote private and public investment in post-harvest activities to boost food processing levels and farmers’ income. Application of nano-liquid DAP (di-ammonium phosphate), a key fertiliser, will be expanded to all agro-climatic zones.
Sitharaman also said the government will step up efforts for value addition in the agricultural sector and boosting farmers’ income.
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However, Tikait, the national spokesperson of BKU, reacted sharply to the budget announcement.
“Aaj nayi sansad mein puraane dhharre par pesh antarim budget kewal chunaavi dhakosla hai. Ye desh ke kisaanon, gareebon, yuva, aadivaasi, mahilaon ke saath dhokha hai. Bharatiya Kisan Union is budget ko sire se nakaarti hai. (Today, the interim budget presented on the old pattern in the new Parliament is only an election gimmick. It is a betrayal with the farmers, the poor, youth, tribals and women of the country. BKU completely rejects this budget),” Tikait posted on X, formerly Twitter.
BKU (non-political) leader Dharmendra Malik, said the budget was a disappointment on the minimum support price (MSP) front but believes the decision to open ‘Agri Clinic’ is right and will benefit farmers.
“Farmers did not have much expectation from this budget because it is an interim budget,” said Malik, once an associate of Tikait.
He claimed no new scheme has been brought in the budget for agricultural welfare and there has been no relief for farmers even in GST.
He noted there has been no increase in the allocation even in ‘PM Asha’ scheme while it is “unfortunate” that the coverage of crop insurance scheme has reduced.
“Farmers will benefit from the government’s plan to open ‘Agri Clinic’. This will help farmers get right advice on agriculture. The government needed to increase facilities in the agricultural sector and farmers are disappointed with this budget,” Malik added.
According to the budget document, the agriculture ministry has been allocated Rs 1,27,469.88 crore for 2024-25 financial year, of which the Department of Agriculture will get Rs 1,17,528.79 crore while the Department of Agricultural Research and Education (DARE) Rs 9,941.09 crore.
According to the revised estimates of the current fiscal, the department of agriculture has been allocated Rs 1,16,788.96 crore while the DARE Rs 9,876.60 crore.
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