New Delhi: The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) has given a call for burning the copies of the recently-announced Union Budget in villages, saying that it is obstinately directed towards ‘corporatisation of agriculture’ at the cost of farmers and workers.
“The budget has neglected the long-pending genuine demands of the farmers for MSP@C2+50% with guaranteed procurement. The Finance Minister said in the Budget speech ‘for Annadata, the Government had announced higher Minimum Support Price a month ago for all major crops, delivering on the promise of at least a 50 per cent margin over costs’ is untrue,” the SKM said in a statement.
“The promise was @C2+50% and the current MSP is @A2+FL+50%. SKM demands the Finance Minister to clear this fact to the people through a White Paper on MSP to uphold the transparency and propriety in governance,” the statement added.
The SKM added that the budget prepared under the duress of International Finance Capital has declared a tax exemption of 5% for MNC’s and is not ready to tax the Corporates and Super Rich, while 67% of the GST collected as indirect tax is from 50% of the poor population.
“There is no tax increase on corporate companies and no wealth tax and inheritance tax, thus clearly revealing its anti-farmer, anti-worker class bias. This is not acceptable to the farmers of the country,” said the SKM in the statement.
The farmers’ outfit said that the budget ignored one of the most important of its demands of replacing the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana and NDRF with an insurance scheme in the public sector and also provide interest free credit to farmers to help them in crop failures and natural calamities which are increasing due to global warming.
“SKM appeals for widest unity of all sections including farmers, workers, women, youth, students etc. as the need of the hour. All the people have to rally and build massive struggles across India to force the Modi Govt. to change the pro-corporate policies and protect the interests of the people,” the SKM said.
