The All India Kisan Sabha has spoken out against the budget, claiming that the government has completely ignored genuine farmer demands and reduced allocations for procurement, food, fertilizer, and MGNREGA.
"It appears to be retaliation for the successful united farmers' movement," said Ashok Dhawale, president, and Hannan Mollah, secretary-general. Farmers have received no relief, and their demands for guaranteed procurement at remunerative prices and loan waivers have been met with callous indifference, they added.
Cut in Procurement & Subsidy
The total allocation in 2021-22 (Revised Estimates) was 4,74,750.47 crore, which has now been reduced to 3,70,303 crore. Rural development's share has also decreased from 5.59 percent to 5.23 percent. Furthermore, allocations for procurement, MGNREGA, crop insurance, and food and fertilizer subsidies have been reduced, they added.
The Finance Minister has tried to make a big deal out of the fact that 2.37 lakh crore has been set aside for paddy and wheat procurement in 2022-23. In fact, this is less than the 2.48 lakh crore allocation made last year. The number of beneficiaries will be reduced to 1.63 crore from 1.97 crores last year, excluding 34 lakh farmers, while there is a demand for expansion to all crops and a wider range of crops.
The procurement allocation to the FCI and under the decentralized procurement scheme has been reduced by 28%. Allocation cuts combined with inflation will result in a significant decrease in procurement in 2022-23. The allocation of funds for fertilizer subsidies has been cut by 25%.
The Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana allocation, which was 16,000 crore in the previous budget, has been reduced to 15,500 crore. The previous claim of 14 crore farmer households benefiting has been reduced to 12.5 crore. While 6,000 each would necessitate a budget of 75,000 crore, only 68,000 crore has been allotted.
Crop husbandry allocation has been reduced by 26,000 crore, while food storage and warehousing allocation has been reduced by 84,000 crore.
Drop in MGNREGA Allocation
When job opportunities were scarce during the pandemic, the allocation for MGNREGA was reduced. The Revised Estimates for 2021-22 were 98,000 crore, but the Budget only allocated 73,000 crore. According to a recent study, ensuring 100 days/household under MGNREGA would require approximately 2.64 lakh crore, including arrears of approximately 21,000 crore. "Clearly, the poor agricultural labourers are not a government priority," AIKS leaders said.
