Slamming Union Budget, SKM calls for burning its copies in villages; accuses Finance Minister of prioritising corporatisation of agriculture

Neeraj Mohan

New Delhi, July 24

The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) launched a scathing attack on Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, accusing her of prioritising the corporatisation of agriculture at the expense of farmers and workers in the Union Budget 2024-25, giving a call to burn copies of the Budget at village level.

SKM alleged that the Budget has cruelly neglected the long-pending demand of comprehensive loan waiver to farmers and workers even though, as per the official record, 31 farmers are committing suicide every day in the country.

SKM leaders highlight several areas where the Budget falls short of addressing the needs and demands of the agricultural community, while benefiting multinational corporations (MNCs) and the super-rich.

“No MSP @C2+50 per cent, no minimum wage, no wage hike in MGNREGA, cut in fertiliser subsidy, taking 1 crore farmers to natural farming will jeopardise food security, and no recruitment in 30 lakh vacancies in government and public sector. No comprehensive loan waiver to farmers and workers, but a 5 per cent tax reduction to MNCs and no tax on corporates. SKM opposes National Cooperation Policy, demands the abolition of the Union Ministry of Cooperation and labels the budget detrimental to education, health, employment, and price control,” read a statement released by SKM leaders after a virtual meeting.

In the statement, SKM condemned the Budget’s direction towards corporatisation, stating that it undermines the rights of state governments and violates the federal character of the Constitution. The Budget’s emphasis on promoting contract farming and funding private sector research and development was seen as a way to reintroduce the controversial farm laws through the back door.

The Budget offers a 5 per cent tax reduction to MNCs and avoids imposing taxes on the wealthy, while 67 per cent of GST is collected from the poorest 50 per cent of the population. This, according to SKM, reveals a clear anti-farmer and anti-worker bias.

The Budget failed to meet the longstanding demand for MSP at C2+50 per cent with guaranteed procurement. The Finance Minister’s claim of delivering on a 50 per cent margin over costs was labelled untrue by SKM, which demanded transparency through a white paper on MSP. Additionally, the Budget neglected comprehensive loan waivers for farmers and workers despite a significant surplus transfer from the RBI.

SKM said that the cut in fertiliser subsidies and continued GST on farm inputs like seeds, fertilisers, and machinery were criticized for increasing production costs and jeopardising food security. The move to encourage natural farming for 1 crore farmers out of 9.3 crore was seen as detrimental to agricultural production.

The SKM leaders slammed that the Budget ignored demands for a minimum wage of Rs 26,000 per month, recruitment in 30 lakh government vacancies, and a wage hike under MGNREGA. It also failed to address crop loss due to wildlife menace, arrears for sugarcane farmers, and support for various agricultural sectors.