Rejecting the Union Budget for 2021-22 as reflective of the BJP-led Central Government’s total apathy towards the common man, the middle class, and the farmers, Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Monday said that even the vital sector of Defence had not been adequately addressed despite the growing border threat from China and Pakistan, while Health allocation was actually down amid the Covid crisis.
Trashing the Centre’s claim that the Health sector allotment had been increased by 35%, the Chief Minister said that the fact was that numbers had been effectively fudged to project a hike by including Rs 35,000 crore Covid vaccine allotment, and the amount set aside for sanitation and cleanliness under the Health head. Actually, the budget for Health was down 10 percent, he added.
The Chief Minister also slammed the Centre for the step-motherly treatment meted out to Punjab and other northern states in the budget, which was designed to cater to the poll-bound state of West Bengal, as well as south India, with a massive infrastructure development allocation for these regions.
“The budget also manifests the Central Govt’s persistent efforts to sideline non-BJP States like ours, as well as its anti-federal mindset,” said the CM, pointing to the gap between the fiscal deficit targets fixed for the Union and States for short and medium term. Aimed at promoting interests of a few corporates at the cost of needs and aspirations of remaining 1.3-plus billion population, the budget failed to address growing problem of unemployment, which the COVID pandemic had exacerbated, said the CM.
“And did the Finance Minister not find it necessary to even mention constitutional guarantee for MSP, one of the key demands of the farmers battling cold and lathis at the doorstep of New Delhi for over two months now?” asked Capt Amarinder, lamenting the measly two percent hike for Agriculture sector, which had been the only well performing sector for the country amid the lockdown.
The entire budget was a big let-down for every section of the society, except the big corporates whom the BJP-led Central Government is out to appease at the cost of interests of the rest, said the CM.
The only somewhat positive note was the increase in the revenue grant for deficit states from Rs 75,000 crore to Rs 1,85,000 crore, he said, hoping that the Centre does not get out of giving Punjab its substantial share on this count.
NDA AGAIN BETRAYED THE IDEA OF “JAI JAWAN, JAI KISAN: PUNJAB FM
Terming the Union Budget poll-bound states-centric as was in Padma Awards, Punjab Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal on Monday lashed out that the entire North India has been ignored again. The Union budget’s politicization has now reached unprecedented levels, he expressed grave concern. Giving his strong views about the union budget, Manpreet said that it seems that just like the Padma Awards, where almost 30 percent of the awards went to the five states going to polls this year, the Union Budget is only meant for those ‘ABC’ states — A for Assam, B for Bengal and C for Chennai and others — where electors are getting ready to vote.
Pointing that both agriculture and defence get a nominal increase, Manpreet said that agriculture deserves more increase in allocation keeping in view of current scenario and this sector also faces a simultaneous 34 per cent reduction in rural development allocation. Defence receives only a one percent increase, though the country is facing a generational challenge on national security, he added.
Underlining that the idea of “Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan” has been consistently ignored by the NDA Government, Manpreet concluded that the budget is silent on agriculture, on unemployment, on agricultural unrest, on MSP, on revenue generation, on the middle classes, and on DisComs. “However, what it is not silent about is selling precious national assets to private parties,” he added.
BUDGET ANTI-FARMER, ANTI-POOR, ANTI-COMMON MAN: SUKHBIR
SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Monday said that the Union Budget – 2021-22 was anti-farmer, anti-poor and anti common man and sole focus of the BJP-led Central Government was on selling off national assets to its corporate friends. “The budget has also punished Punjabis for supporting the peaceful agitation against the three hated agricultural laws with nothing being earmarked for the State,” he said.
Sukhbir said that at a time when there was a need to increase direct benefit transfers to farmers as well as under privileged sections of society, the NDA Government was focusing on disinvesting Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) which “will give a further boost to crony capitalism as corporate players are set to buy these PSUs at dirt cheap prices”.
Asserting that the Central Government must move away from presenting electoral budgets which catered solely to specific States which were going to the polls, Sukhbir said: “This will lead to haphazard development and is not in national interest.” He also asked the Government to move away from hype with words like ‘digital budget’ and ‘atma-nirbhar’ saying that the “situation is very different on the ground. A large section of people, including farmers, poor and the middle class have not even been covered by the current budget”.
BJP SAYS BUDGET REAFFIRMS MODI’S COMMITMENT TO MSP, MANDI SYSTEM
BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh on Monday hailed the 2021-22 budget as a big step towards reassuring farmers that the Modi Government would continue to give top priority to farmers’ welfare.
“A remarkable increase in the disbursement of procurement money to farmers for wheat and paddy crops testified to the fact that the Centre would continue to strengthen the MSP system,” he said.
Chugh said: “Much against the fear of the protesting farmers, the budget has proved that the Government would not only continue the MSP system but would strengthen it as well.”
“The budget has also reiterated the Government’s commitment to develop APMCs as the Government has announced to allow utilization of Rs one lakh crore infrastructure fund for the infrastructure development of state-controlled mandis. This should allay fears of protesting farmers that the Centre is planning to destroy mandi system through new farm laws,” he added.
In view of announcements made in the budget for farmers’ welfare, Chugh appealed to the protesting farmers to withdraw their agitation as their fears about the MSP and the mandi system have been completely and satisfactorily addressed.
Meanwhile, Punjab’s former Minister Manoranjan Kalia has termed the Union Budget “a gateway to New India”. Kalia said that this budget is progressive and visionary Budget and will give a new fillip to the country’s growing economy. “It has taken care of retired people and young entrepreneurs in start-up and a relief to the middle class who are to purchase a house on loan,” he added