Terming the Budget as “long on promise, short on delivery”, Kisan Sansad – an umbrella of 35 organisations – said projecting it as a boost to the farm sector was a “cruel joke on farmers.”
“When 40 per cent of the nation is reeling under drought, when thousands of farmers are committing suicide due to indebtedness, a major bailout package was expected from the government, which includes interest waiver, debt swapping of private loans with bank loans, and disaster compensation,” it said in a statement, reminding the government that when the corporate sector was under stress in 2008-09, they got a ₹300,000-crore bailout package.
It said the Narendra Modi government was attempting an “image makeover” by projecting the Budget as pro-farmer, but it had been “generous with words and stingy with funds.”
With drought and unseasonal rains and hailstorm damaging crops, farmers had demanded a disaster compensation of ₹10,000/acre, but no increase has been announced from the current level of ₹3,000-4,000/acre,’ said the Kisan Sansad, calling for a statutory, permanent Farmers’ Income Commission and a Farmers’ Income Guarantee Act to assure a minimum living income to farming households.
Terming the Finance Minister’s speech as “business as usual”, Swaraj Abhiyan, which is part of the Kisan Sansad, said the outlay of ₹35,984 crore to agriculture is being projected as a major increase but “in reality, it is a pittance.” “In 2014-15, the outlay was ₹31,000 crore, which was drastically reduced to ₹24,910 crore in 2015-16, and now increased to ₹35,984 crore. Less than 3.5 per cent of the entire Budget is going to agriculture when 55 per cent of India’s population depends on agriculture and in a year when farmers are facing their worst crisis,” it added.
However, it welcomed the target of bringing additional 28.5 lakh hectares under irrigation in five years.