Says Govt has not put a single penny in pocket of farmers
Staff Reporter / New Delhi
Congress today maintained its criticism towards Government even as Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman gave details of the third tranche of the Centre’s economic package, announcing relief for agriculture and allied industries.
Party hit out at the Centre’s announcements of relief to the farm sector as “insensitive” to farmers as it failed to put a single penny in their pockets at a time when they were battling the COVID-19 outbreak.
This is a big ‘jumla Bazi’ and Rs 20 lakh crore is only 13 zeros for the citizens of the country,” Randeep Surjewala, in-charge of the AICC Communication Department told media here.
Surjewala said the govt has not put a single penny in pocket of farmers through the package and claimed that farmers have lost over Rs 50,000 crore this Rabi season.
He said the prime minister and the finance minister only talk big things and indulge in headline management, but have done nothing concrete for farmers or any other section of society.
FM unveils third tranche of economic package; focus on agriculture, infra
Surjewala said the farmers have lost Rs 21,000 crore by distress sale of wheat far below the minimum support price (MSP) and an equal amount through other crops like chana, sarson and masoor, while another Rs 10,000 crore was lost through distress sale of vegetables and fruits.
He claimed that since the markets were shut and farmers have to sell at distress prices as the government was buying only 26.5 per cent of the Rabi crop at MSP.
Former Union Minister Jairam Ramesh asked Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to shed light on the actual cash outflow in addition to the Rs 30.42 lakh expenditure mentioned in the Union Budget. “Everything else is dramabaazi,” said Ramesh
“Neither farmers nor farm labourers will benefit from these jumla announcements of the finance minister. Today, farmers and farm workers are frustrated and disappointed,” he said.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday gave details of the third tranche of the Centre’s economic package, announcing relief for agriculture and allied industries.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier this week announced a cumulative package of Rs 20 lakh crore (nearly 10 per cent of GDP) to provide relief to various segments of the economy battered by coronavirus lockdown.
