Chandigarh/New Delhi, 2 February 2025: Farmer groups on Saturday criticized the Union Budget presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, calling it “pro-corporate” and lacking provisions for their long-standing demand of a law guaranteeing minimum support prices (MSP) for crops.
Jagjit Singh Dallewal, a farm leader who has been on an indefinite fast at Punjab’s Khanauri border with Haryana since November 26 over the MSP issue, termed the Budget anti-farmer.
He pointed out that while the farming community accounts for over half of the country’s population, agriculture received only 3.8 percent of the total budget allocation.
Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM) convener Sarwan Singh Pandher echoed the concerns, saying the Budget failed to address the needs of farmers and farm laborers.
“It was completely silent on their welfare, even as we have been protesting for over a year,” he said.
Bharti Kisan Union (Kadian) leader Harmeet Singh Kadian criticized the lack of support for Punjab’s food processing industry.
“No budgetary allocation has been made to promote food processing, nor has any provision been introduced to support research on crop diversification,” he said.
Kadian also called for an increase in the Kisan Credit Card (KCC) limit to ₹10 lakh, arguing that the current ₹5 lakh cap is insufficient given rising costs of tractors and other agricultural equipment.
Jagmohan Singh Patiala, general secretary of the Bharti Kisan Union (Ekta Dakonda), suggested the Budget favored National Democratic Alliance-ruled states such as Bihar and Andhra Pradesh.
“It looks like a strong push has been made for Bihar’s growth, possibly due to the upcoming Assembly elections, while Punjab farmers continue to wait for better support,” he said.
