CHENNAI: Murasoli, the DMK’s mouthpiece, criticised the Union Budget, calling it neither poor-friendly nor Tamil Nadu-friendly. In two separate write-ups, including an editorial, the paper outlined how the central government has reduced funding for various poverty alleviation schemes in the latest budget.
The editorial on Thursday slammed BJP state president K Annamalai for his statement that the budget outlay for 2023-2024 is `6,080 crore (seven times more than the annual budget allocation during UPA2-2). It pointed out that while the allocation for the railway department is nine times higher than that in 2014 and two times higher than last year, the allocation for Tamil Nadu is very low.
A state-level DMK leader, speaking on condition of anonymity, told TNIE the BJP-led union government generated more income from the state by imposing GST on major revenue streams while allocating only a small portion of it. The leader added if Annamalai wants to claim the union government’s achievements, he should provide details on how much was generated from each state and how much was allocated to them.
The second write-up listed several pro-poor schemes that received lower funding compared to previous years. For example, the current budget saw a 5% decrease in allocation for agriculture and allied sectors, the scheme for horticulture and plantation farmers was abolished, and there was no mention of the Pradhan Mantri Annadata Aay SanraksHan Abhiyan (PM-AASHA) to ensure minimum support prices for farmers’ produce. The Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY), the government-sponsored crop insurance scheme, saw a 12% decrease in allocation, and the PM KISSAN scheme saw a 13% decrease.
The write-up questioned how the budget could be considered a budget for all when it ignored the welfare of farmers, tribals, minorities, the disabled, the working class, and the poor, who make up 80% of the country’s population.
