NEW DELHI: Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday rejected the opposition’s claim that govt has “cut allocation” for farmers, poor and tribals in the 2024-25 Budget Estimate (BE), on a day the Rajya Sabha returned the Finance Bill 2024 and relevant appropriation bills to Lok Sabha, paving the way for passage of the 2024-25 Interim Budget. The House also returned the appropriation bills related to J&K.
In her reply, the FM asserted there is no reduction in budgetary allocation for flagship and welfare schemes, and allocation for capital expenditure has been increased.She said Centre has released more funds to Kerala and Tamil Nadu as per the 15th Finance Commission norms in the past 10 years compared to UPA period.
Earlier, Congress MP Randeep Surjewala countered govt’s claim of its farmer welfare track record citing the NCRB data on the number of farmers and farm labourers taking their lives. He said while 1.5 lakh farmers and farm labourers died by suicide between 2014 and 2021, and in 2022 their number stood at 11,290. He also cited the govt’s NSSO report which shows that farmers daily income was Rs 27 per day and the total debt on farmers was Rs 27,000 crore debt.
Quoting agriculture ministry data, Surjewala said the ministry has surrendered Rs 1 lakh crore allocated to it in the past five years. “What type of govt is this? While one farmer or farm labourer is taking life every hour, the agriculture ministry is surrendering Rs 1 lakh crore meant for farmers,” he said.
Surjewala also questioned the reduction in the number of PM Kisan Samman Nidhi beneficiaries (who get Rs 6,000 financial assistance per year) as he sought a response from the FM. The Congress leader alleged that around 7.5 crore farmers have been kept out of this scheme. He said while the Agriculture Census for 2015 estimated there were 14.6 crore farmers, only eight crore got the 15th instalment of the financial assistance in Nov.
In her reply, Sitharaman said govt released the 15th instalment to 8.1 crore farmers whose land details have been fed in the system and is linked to their Aadhaar number, have DBT account, and have completed the KYC procedure. She said the number may increase, if more beneficiaries comply with these conditions.
Sitharaman also dismissed Surjewala’s allegations of govt not keeping the promise of giving MSP (minmum support price) to farmers that’s 50% more than the input cost and land rent. She gave details of the hike in MSP of all major crops in the past nine years and how it’s more than 50% over the input cost and rent of land.
In response to claims of opposition MPs on the unemployment and women participation jobs, FM cited the data to show how rural unemployment rate has declined and women labour force in work participation has increased significantly. She also lashed out at opposition for treating the Global Hunger Index report as gospel truth and questioning the National Family Health Survey report, which has large sample base. “This hypocrisy won’t work,” she said.
In her reply, the FM asserted there is no reduction in budgetary allocation for flagship and welfare schemes, and allocation for capital expenditure has been increased.She said Centre has released more funds to Kerala and Tamil Nadu as per the 15th Finance Commission norms in the past 10 years compared to UPA period.
Earlier, Congress MP Randeep Surjewala countered govt’s claim of its farmer welfare track record citing the NCRB data on the number of farmers and farm labourers taking their lives. He said while 1.5 lakh farmers and farm labourers died by suicide between 2014 and 2021, and in 2022 their number stood at 11,290. He also cited the govt’s NSSO report which shows that farmers daily income was Rs 27 per day and the total debt on farmers was Rs 27,000 crore debt.
Quoting agriculture ministry data, Surjewala said the ministry has surrendered Rs 1 lakh crore allocated to it in the past five years. “What type of govt is this? While one farmer or farm labourer is taking life every hour, the agriculture ministry is surrendering Rs 1 lakh crore meant for farmers,” he said.
Surjewala also questioned the reduction in the number of PM Kisan Samman Nidhi beneficiaries (who get Rs 6,000 financial assistance per year) as he sought a response from the FM. The Congress leader alleged that around 7.5 crore farmers have been kept out of this scheme. He said while the Agriculture Census for 2015 estimated there were 14.6 crore farmers, only eight crore got the 15th instalment of the financial assistance in Nov.
In her reply, Sitharaman said govt released the 15th instalment to 8.1 crore farmers whose land details have been fed in the system and is linked to their Aadhaar number, have DBT account, and have completed the KYC procedure. She said the number may increase, if more beneficiaries comply with these conditions.
Sitharaman also dismissed Surjewala’s allegations of govt not keeping the promise of giving MSP (minmum support price) to farmers that’s 50% more than the input cost and land rent. She gave details of the hike in MSP of all major crops in the past nine years and how it’s more than 50% over the input cost and rent of land.
In response to claims of opposition MPs on the unemployment and women participation jobs, FM cited the data to show how rural unemployment rate has declined and women labour force in work participation has increased significantly. She also lashed out at opposition for treating the Global Hunger Index report as gospel truth and questioning the National Family Health Survey report, which has large sample base. “This hypocrisy won’t work,” she said.