NEW DELHI: Farmer leaders in Punjab on Tuesday expressed their disappointment with the Union Budget presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, claiming it “ignored” the farming sector and failed to address the issue of providing a legal guarantee for minimum support price (MSP).
The budget allocates Rs 1.52 lakh crore for the agriculture and allied sectors in the fiscal year 2024-25.The finance minister said that the plan focuses on several key areas aimed to boost the agricultural landscape and improve the lives of farmers across the nation.
Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM) leader Sarwan Singh Pandher criticised the Budget for not including any provisions for a legal guarantee of MSP or farm loan waivers.
“There is neither anything about giving a legal guarantee to the MSP nor any farm loan waiver in the Budget,” Pandher said.
“It is a directionless and disappointing Budget. It does not have any vision for the agriculture sector,” he added.
Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal said that the allocation of Rs 1.52 lakh crore for the agriculture sector constituted only three percent of the total budget size. He argued that the Centre has consistently “ignored” the farming sector and that the share of the agriculture sector in the total budget should have been higher.
Harmeet Singh Kadian, another farmers’ leader, termed the Union Budget a “flop budget” for farmers, highlighting the absence of loan waivers, diversification packages, agro-export and agro-industrial packages, and a budget to legalize MSP.
“No loan waiver, no diversification package, no agro-export, no agro-industrial package and no budget to legalise MSP,” Kadian said in a post on X.
The budget allocates Rs 1.52 lakh crore for the agriculture and allied sectors in the fiscal year 2024-25.The finance minister said that the plan focuses on several key areas aimed to boost the agricultural landscape and improve the lives of farmers across the nation.
Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM) leader Sarwan Singh Pandher criticised the Budget for not including any provisions for a legal guarantee of MSP or farm loan waivers.
“There is neither anything about giving a legal guarantee to the MSP nor any farm loan waiver in the Budget,” Pandher said.
“It is a directionless and disappointing Budget. It does not have any vision for the agriculture sector,” he added.
Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal said that the allocation of Rs 1.52 lakh crore for the agriculture sector constituted only three percent of the total budget size. He argued that the Centre has consistently “ignored” the farming sector and that the share of the agriculture sector in the total budget should have been higher.
Harmeet Singh Kadian, another farmers’ leader, termed the Union Budget a “flop budget” for farmers, highlighting the absence of loan waivers, diversification packages, agro-export and agro-industrial packages, and a budget to legalize MSP.
“No loan waiver, no diversification package, no agro-export, no agro-industrial package and no budget to legalise MSP,” Kadian said in a post on X.
Both the SKM (Non-Political) and KMM are currently leading the ‘Delhi Chalo’ march by farmers, demanding that the government accept their demands, including a legal guarantee for MSP for crops. The protesting farmers have been stationed at the Shambhu and Khanauri border points between Punjab and Haryana since February 13, when their march was halted by security forces.