Kisan Morcha will burn copies of the budget in villages, why did corporates enter agriculture?
News Bureau July 25,2024
The Union Budget has been completely rejected by the farmers. The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), an umbrella organisation of farmers, called for burning copies of the budget in villages. Launching a scathing attack on Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, SKM accused her of prioritising corporatisation of agriculture at the cost of farmers and workers in the Union Budget 2024-25.
SKM alleged that the budget neglects the long-pending demand of a comprehensive loan waiver of farmers and workers, while as per official records, 31 farmers are committing suicide every day in the country.
एसकेएम नेताओं ने कई क्षेत्रों पर प्रकाश डाला जहां बजट कृषि समुदाय की जरूरतों और मांगों को पूरा करने में विफल रहा, जबकि बहुराष्ट्रीय निगमों (एमएनसी) और अति-अमीर लोगों को लाभ पहुंचा रहा है। एसकेएम से जुड़े किसान संगठनों के नेताओं ने पहले ऑनलाइन मीटिंग की और अपने विचारों का आदान-प्रदान इस मुद्दे पर किया। इसके बाद एसकेएम ने अपना प्रेस नोट जारी किया।
SKM said, “No MSP, no minimum wages, no wage hike in MNREGA, cut in fertilizer subsidy, and no recruitment to 30 lakh vacancies in government and public sector. No comprehensive loan waiver for farmers and workers, but a 5% tax cut to MNCs and no tax on corporates. SKM opposes National Cooperation Policy, demands abolition of Central Cooperation Ministry. This budget has done nothing for education, health, employment and control of rising inflation.”
SKM condemned the move towards corporatisation of farming, saying it undermines the rights of state governments and violates the federal character of the Constitution. The Budget’s emphasis on promoting contract farming and funding private sector research and development was seen as a way to reintroduce the controversial farm laws through the backdoor.
What SKM objects to most:
The Budget offers a 5 per cent tax cut to multinational companies.
No new taxes on the rich.
67 per cent of GST is collected from the poorest 50 per cent of the population.
This clearly exposes the anti-farmer and anti-worker bias.
The Finance Minister’s claim of providing 50 per cent margin on farm costs was termed untrue by SKM, which has demanded transparency through a white paper on MSP. Additionally, the Budget neglects to provide a comprehensive loan waiver for farmers and workers despite significant surplus transfers from the RBI.
The SKM said the cut in fertilizer subsidy and the continuation of GST on agricultural inputs such as seeds, manure and machinery were criticised for increasing production costs and endangering food security. The move to encourage natural farming for 1 crore out of 9.3 crore farmers was seen as detrimental to agricultural production.
The SKM leaders criticised that the budget ignored demands for minimum wage of Rs 26,000 per month, recruitment in 30 lakh government vacancies and wage hike under MNREGA. It also failed to provide good measures for crop loss due to stray cattle menace, sugarcane farmers’ dues and various agricultural sectors.
