The Janata Dal (Secular) on Thursday said the State Budget presented by Chief Minister D.V. Sadananda Gowda offered nothing to the farming community and no substantial amount had been set aside to stock fertilizers, seeds and purchase and distribute agricultural equipment to farmers.
Addressing presspersons here, party legislature party leader H.D. Revanna dubbed the budget “anti-farmer and anti-poor” and alleged that taxes had been reduced only on luxury items which would benefit middle class and the rich families.
Instead of setting up a revolving fund to stock fertilizers, Mr. Gowda liberally allocated funds for various maths belonging to various castes. The BJP Government has looted the pubic money and misused funds allocated for Suvarna Bhoomi scheme, he alleged.
Noting that the budget lacked vision and direction to accelerate the State's economy, Mr. Revanna said the government should have waived crop loans of lakhs of farmers who had been facing severe financial difficulties owing to drought in 124 taluks.
The farm growth has turned negative not only account of drought, floods and but also due to mismanagement of agriculture schemes by RSS leaders, he alleged. Instead of announcing new incentives to the farm sector, Mr. Gowda merely repeated old schemes launched by the former Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa. No action plan has been prepared to address challenges related electricity shortage, infrastructure bottlenecks, and increased debt, he said.
The budget has benefited over six lakh government employees by hiking their salaries and this would increase the committed expenditure of the State, he said.
