Budget is anti-farmer: CG Cong

Finance

Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has slashed the budgetary provisions made for farmer-oriented schemes in the general budget compared to last year, the Congress said on Tuesday. Also, the cess on petrol and diesel will badly hit the prices of the essential commodities, said Chandrashekhar Shukla, Chhattisgarh Kisan Congress President and financial expert Ramesh Warlyani at a joint press conference at state Congress headquarters Rajiv Bhavan, Raipur. On the Minimum Support Price (MSP), the labour cost of the farmers has been separated from it. There is no discussion on MSP on other crops, they said. Detailing the data in agriculture and allied activity services last year, the budgetary allocation was Rs1.54 lakh crore and this year, it is Rs1.48 lakh crore, said Shailesh Trivedi, the PCC Communication head said. The PM Kisan Scheme was Rs75,000 crore but this year it is only Rs65,000 crore. Why a 13% deduction when the scheme has reached only half of farmers across the countr y, he added.

If the benefits have to be extended to all the farmers, the budget required is Rs1.25 lakh crore.