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Farmers’ group Alliance for Sustainable & Holistic Agriculture (ASHA)-Kisan Swaraj network has condemned the central government’s 2024-25 budget, labelling it anti-farmer and out of touch with rural India’s needs.
Despite recent electoral setbacks and farmers’ movements in recent years, the budget presented July 23, 2024 by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman further reduces allocations for agriculture and allied sectors, now only 3.15 per cent of the total budget, the agricultural body said in a press statement.
“We do not see any concrete measures that reflect the government’s intent to make agriculture economically viable, environmentally sustainable and socially equitable. The budget allocation as a proportion of the total budget actually declined, as has been the trend over several years now,” said ASHA-Kisan Swaraj in its statement.
The network highlighted the lack of support for farmers, particularly the absence of a minimum support price (MSP) guarantee, which farmers have long demanded. Further, the Rs 6,437 crore allocated for Pradhan Mantri Annadata Aay Sanrakshan Abhiyan, an umbrella scheme to ensure MSP and related schemes, falls short of addressing the severe distress among farmers, the statement said.
Co-Convenor Kiran Vissa criticised the disparity between grand announcements and declining financial provisions, citing the Natural Farming Scheme’s reduced allocation from Rs 459 crore in 2023-24 to Rs 365 crore this year as an example.
“What is striking about the budgets for agriculture in the Bharatiya Janata Party-National Democratic Alliance governments over the past several years are the hyped-up statements and announcements on the one hand and the declining financial provisions for particular schemes and for farmers in the country on the other hand,” said Vissa.
The organisation also pointed out the government’s failure to fulfil past promises, such as the revival of 22,000 rural haats under Gramin Agricultural Markets scheme and the establishment of 10,000 farmer producer organisations. Budgetary support for PM-Kisan Samman Nidhi and Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme has also dwindled, with allocations falling to Rs 60,000 crore and Rs 86,000 crore, respectively.
ASHA-Kisan Swaraj raised concerns over the reduced allocation for the interest subvention scheme for agricultural credit, linking it to the ongoing crisis of farmer suicides due to indebtedness. Conversely, the new ‘Namo Drone Didi’ scheme, which promotes the use of agrochemicals, has been allocated Rs 500 crore, the statement underlined.
Transparency issues were also flagged, with missing implementation details for the 2023-24 budget on the budget portal. The organisation accused the government of obscuring its shortcomings. Additionally, the role of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research was questioned, as the budget included support for private sector involvement in climate-resilient crop development, raising fears about increased reliance on genetic modification technologies.
The budget’s emphasis on digital infrastructure for agriculture was criticised for potentially excluding real farmers, including women, Adivasi, tenant and livestock farmers, from receiving due recognition and support. The ASHA-Kisan Swaraj network called for a reassessment of the government’s priorities, urging a budget that ensures agriculture’s economic viability, environmental sustainability and social equity.
