Finance Minister Manish Sisodia on Tuesday termed the Union Budget as “anti-farmer” and claimed that the share of the agriculture sector in the Budget has been reduced to 3.84% from 4.25% last year. He also claimed that shares of other important sectors had also come down.
The Delhi Congress also attacked the Central government and said that there was nothing for the people of Delhi in the Budget, especially those running small businesses who have been devastated by the pandemic.
“The Central government is decreasing the number of farmers who will enjoy the benefit of MSP, Budget for MSP, and also the target of wheat and rice to be collected under MSP. Could any Budget be more anti-farmer? The government has cheated the farmers in this Budget,” Mr. Sisodia said in a video statement.
He said that the BJP had failed in its promise of doubling the income of farmers by 2022.
‘Health neglected’
The Minister said that the share of the health sector in the Budget had not increased. “The Central government has not taken any lesson from the whole pandemic. Last year, the share of the health sector was 2.14% and this year it is 2.19%. It’s almost the same,” he said.
Mr. Sisodia said that there was no vision for jobs, education, or health in the Budget and there was nothing for the middle class too. “They are saying that using a scheme, under which no jobs were created in the past two years, they will give 60 lakh jobs in the five years. This is just a jumla,” he said.
He also said that the share of central taxes of Delhi had remained unchanged at ₹325 crore each year for the past 21 years and this year also it had not been increased. “I had requested the Finance Minister to increase this, but nothing has been done,” Mr. Sisodia said.
‘Zero Budget’
Delhi Congress chief Ch. Anil Kumar said that Delhiites had expected that the Union Budget would provide some relief to the unemployed youth, traders, shopkeepers, small business owners and people devastated by the pandemic, but they were totally disappointed by the Budget, as it was a “zero Budget” for them.
“Frequent hike in the prices of petroleum products has upset the household budget beyond recovery, and roll back of the excise duty would have given them some relief, but the Union Budget has only protected the interest of the rich friends of the Modi government,” Mr. Kumar said.
He added that with elections to the Municipal Corporations of Delhi round the corner, the Budget should have allocated sufficient funds to the fund-starved BJP-ruled civic bodies, as the corporations have not been able to pay the salaries of sanitation workers, teachers, nurses, doctors and paramedical staff.
