There is very little innovative or out-of-the box thinking in the area of agriculture in the budget. As an agricultural graduate, I feel that the establishment of agricultural/horticultural universities will not benefit farmers, even in the medium term. After having been involved in agricultural lending for over a decade, I have realised that setting credit targets and increasing finance resources have not resulted in the desired changes. Instead of talking about allocations, the government would do well to implement measures such as soil- testing, setting up of warehouses and cold storages and implementing market reforms.
H.S. Manjunatha
Bangalore
Thirty lakh retired soldiers and around five lakh widows got a rude jolt when Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley allotted a mere Rs. 1,000 crore for the implementation of one-rank one-pension (OROP). In fact, at every election meeting Mr. Narendra Modi was selling dreams to the soldier fraternity by declaring that the OROP granted by the UPA government was an eyewash and that the NDA, if it came to power, would grant more money for OROP. Soldiers believed Mr. Modi and voted en masse for the BJP. But Mr. Jaitley’s speech has only brought disappointment. The armed forces’ optimism in Mr. Modi stands to be shattered.
Mathew Oommen,
Pune
