Punjab draws a blank; leaders, farmers give thumbs down to Budget

Ruchika M Khanna

Chandigarh, July 23

With Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman failing to consider any of Punjab’s demands, the state’s political parties, business fraternity and the farming community have given a thumbs down to the Budget.

Experts say there is nothing for the state in the Budget. Even the genuine demand for financial assistance to deal with last year’s floods has been ignored even as Bihar got a massive Rs 11,500-crore package, they lament. State’s New and Renewable Energy Minister Aman Arora alleged, “In this ‘kursi bachao’ Budget, only the two parties keeping the BJP in power – the JD(U) and the TDP — are the beneficiaries. There is no mention of Punjab in the Budget. It is evident that the ruling BJP has a disliking for Punjab and its people.” He said the fertiliser subsidy had been reduced by Rs 9,000 crore and the state’s farmers wouldn’t even get Kisan Credit Cards. Assembly Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan said, “The Budget is a mere ritual where Punjab and agriculture have been ignored.” Jangveer Singh Chauhan of the Doaba Kisan Committee said, “There is no mention of law guaranteeing MSP or farm loan waiver.”

Agricultural policy expert Devinder Sharma said he had hoped that a policy would be brought to make agriculture lucrative and employment-oriented. “The Centre could have taken a cue from the successful model adopted by Chhattisgarh for buying paddy at Rs 3,100 per quintal, using the C2+60 formula, and implemented it across the country. Even the focus on the use farm technology seems like an attempt to give the control of agriculture to corporate houses,” he said.

In contrast, Ajayvir Jakhar, chairman, Bharat Krishak Samaj, and former chairman of the Punjab Farmers Commission, said, “It is heartening that the Budget focuses on skills, employment generation, youth, housing, etc. to build human capacity and societal resilience.”

The state’s MSME sector, which had raised certain demands ahead of the Budget, too has been left high and dry. Industrialists say their main contention is an amendment made to Section 43 B(H) of the IT Act, according to which if the payments due for the micro and small enterprises are not cleared within 15 to 45 days, the expense cannot be claimed. The industrialists say the amendment is leading to losses and they had requested the Centre to scrap it, but it has not been done.

Out of favour

• Political parties say Centre ignored their genuine demand for financial assistance
• Farmers rue there’s no mention of law guaranteeing MSP or farm loan waiver
• MSME sector too left high and dry; industrialists say none of their demands met