Grossly inadequate allocation for farmers: CPI(M) peasants' wing

New Delhi, Feb 29: The peasants' wing of CPI(M) today said the allocation for agriculture in the Union budget is "grossly inadequate" and the NDA government has failed to give a concrete proposal on how farmers' income will be doubled in the next five years.

"It is grossly inadequate allocation for farmers...There is no concrete proposal as to how farmers' income will be doubled as they (the government) have not given any assurance to reduce input costs and ensure minimum support price in line with the M S Swaminathan Commission report.

"If this is not there, how the income will be doubled? It cannot be doubled by only issuing statements," All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) general secretary Hannan Mollah said.

Mollah also questioned the decision to hike agri-credit target to Rs 9 lakh crore. "Small, marginal farmers and agricultural labourers form 75 per cent of the farming community. They don't get loans. Actually, the loans go to agri-businesses. I do not think it will lead to a very remarkable development in the agrarian sector," he said.

Aiming to double farmers' income by 2022, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley announced an allocation of nearly Rs 36,000 crore for the farm sector while raising the agri-credit target to Rs 9 lakh crore for the next fiscal.

He also allocated Rs 15,000 crore for interest subvention on the farm credit, Rs 5,500 crore for the new crop insurance scheme and Rs 500 crore to boost pulses output. Jaitley also said a unified agricultural market will be launched on April 14 and soil health cards will be provided to all 14 crore farmers by March 2017.

PTI