Agriculture Budget Cuts are Disappointing: HD Deve Gowda

Former Prime Minister and JD(S) MP HD Deve Gowda said on Monday that the decrease in overall allocation in the Budget disappointed many who expected an increase in outlay for agriculture. Participating in Rajya Sabha's Motion of Thanks on the President's Address, he stated that there has been a decrease in budget allocation for the farm sector, which has disappointed everyone. The allocation for agriculture in 2022-23 fell by 3.8% when compared to the previous fiscal year.

HD Deve Gowda's Viewpoint:

According to Deve Gowda, today's India is an agrarian economy that employs 50% of the country's workforce and accounts for 70% of GDP.

He also stated that 82% of the farmers are marginal and small farmers with an average landholding of 1.08 hectares.

It is worth noting that if the country is to progress economically, it will only do so through the agriculture sector if the government prioritizes it.

Despite all odds such as climate change, flood, drought, and declining groundwater levels, Deve Gowda stated that the country's farmers produced 305 million food gains and 320 million tonnes of fruits and vegetables in 2020-21, with an average growth of 2.3%.

In addition, he demanded that the Goods and Services Tax (GST) be removed from all farm and processed food products. "The subsidy on petroleum products has been reduced, and this will affect farmers' income and margins of profit," the JD(U) lawmaker explained.

During the debate on the motion of thanks, YSR Congress MP V Vijayasai Reddy (YSRCP) raised the issue of Andhra Pradesh's special category status. He claimed that the ABJP government granted Uttarakhand Special Category Status but denied it to his state. "There cannot be a rule for BJP-ruled states and another for non-BJP-ruled states," he said.

While speaking in the debate, BJP lawmaker Vinay Sahasrabuddhe stated that this government has done a lot for the betterment of the poor in the country.

He slammed the opposition on the PM Cares Fund, claiming that it was not used properly.

"This is not like the Disaster Relief Fund, which was chaired by a political party chief; we are surprised that a party chief can chair a government fund," he joked.

Concerning the politics of performance and prejudice, Shashtrabuddhe stated that the opposition should have praised the government's initiatives such as Vibhishika Diwas and Veer Bal Diwas.

In reference to the foreign exchange reserve, he stated, "When our government took over in 2014, the reserve was 313 billion US dollars, which is now over 600 billion US dollars.We have given the fertilizer sector a subsidy of Rs. 6.50 lakh crore."