Centre miserably failed to allocate funds for agriculture: SKM

Ongole(Prakasam Dist): Samyukta Kisan Morcha Prakasam district convener Chunduri Ranga Rao said the Union government cheated farmers by reducing the allocations to agriculture and miserably failed on its part in protecting farmers.

Responding to the Union Budget, which Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had introduced in the Parliament on Wednesday, Ranga Rao alleged that the Union government is reducing the allocations to agriculture and MGNREGS year after year, proving its apathy towards farmers, farm workers and people of some sections, who are rotting in the poverty. He pointed out that in the Union Budget 2023-24, the government has reduced the percentage of allocations to agriculture from 3.84% last year to 3.14%.

"Also, allocations for MGNREGS are being reduced year after year. It was Rs 1.10 lakh crore in 2020-21, Rs 0.75 lakh crore in 2022-23 and now to Rs 0.60 lakh crore." He said that the government didn't make allocations to Fasal Bima Yojana as per the requirement and decreased the percentage of subsidies for various components of agriculture.

The farmers' leader opined that the budget is made with the salaried employees in focus, to pacify them for the coming elections. He said that by neglecting the welfare of nearly 60 per cent of people in the country, the Union government proved that it is on the side of the corporates and wealthy, but not for the poor farmers, farmworkers and the people in villages.