JAMMU, FEBRUARY 17 (KNO) : A largely attended demonstration organized by J&K Kisan Tehreek was held at Press Club Jammu today against the anti-farmer union budget presented for 2018-19. While terming the Union Budget presented by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley earlier this month as disappointing, hollow and anti-farmer, State Secretary, J&K Kisan Tehreek, G.N.Malik, today said the budgetary proposals for agriculture are aimed to help the corporate agri-businesses and has no vision for promoting farmers’ welfare.
Calling the budget a capitulation to corporate interests, he said Mr. Jaitley dashed the hopes of farmers who were expecting loan waivers. The Union Budget 2018-19 is a big letdown as it has failed to address the issues of farmers. Mr Jaitley has resorted to lies and deceit to betray farmers who have been reeling under acute agrarian crisis. The Budget has failed to deliver on the demands of the farmers, agricultural workers and the poor.
The budget is, in fact, a mockery to the farmers because only a sometime back, the government in writing had informed the Supreme Court that it is not in a position to implement the recommendations of the Swaminathan Commission but now Mr. Jaitley claims to have already implemented it. After having promoted corporate loot and crony capitalism in the name of “Ease of Doing Business” he is seeking to hoodwink the peasantry, working class, poor and the middle class by claiming that the BJP-led NDA Government has moved to “Ease of Living” for them.
The budget which has come at a time when massive farmers’ protests have demanded remunerative prices and liberation from debt has failed to address these issues. A Kisan Sansad had also proposed two Bills to ensure Assured Remunerative Price and liberation from indebtedness. First and foremost, the betrayal is on the demand of the peasantry for Assured Remunerative Prices.
After having reneged on Narendra Modi’s election time promise of providing MSP according to the recommendations of National Commission of Farmers which had recommended MSP at least 50 percent above the cost of production (C2), the Finance Minister now claims that they have already implemented the recommendations for the Rabi season and claims that for the next Khariff, MSP will be given at the rate of 150 percent above cost of production.
Secondly, the BJP led Government has betrayed the farming community and rural poor by refusing to announce any policy for liberation from indebtedness for the peasantry. It then goes on to claim that agricultural credit has been increased by 10 percent by Rs.1 lakh crore to Rs.1.1 lakh crore, although it is not a budgetary provision.
This would be disbursed through all three institutions of agricultural credit: commercial banks, credit cooperatives and Regional Rural Banks. Thirdly, the agricultural workers and rural poor who have seen falling incomes and increasing migration have nothing in the Budget. No increase in MGNREGA allocation has been made. Rs.55,000 crore allotted is equal to the revised estimate for 2017-18. Even by conservative estimates more than Rs.80,000 crores will be required for proper implementation of the programme.
This callous attitude is despite the fact that over 56 percent of wages were pending and more than 15 percent of the wage seekers did not find any work in 2016-17. Kishor Kumar, President J&K Kisan Tehreek demanded that the government should provide proper mandis (market) to the farmers for their produce and the rate of Khair plants/trees, mostly produced in districts of Kathua, Samba, Reasi, and Udhampur need to be increased substantially The government should allow these growers to sell their material to other nearby states like Panjab and Haryana.
The Government should also provide adequate funds for research and development in agriculture to encourage organic farming so that flora and fauna is protected. Among others Comrades Banarasi Das, Regional President, Sohan Lal Regional Secretary, Sewa Ram Bhagat district President Kathua, Ghyain Singh(Udhampur) and Mandev Singh also addressed the demonstration.(KNO)