Agricultural experts and farmer union leaders on Monday dismissed the state government’s budget as “deceptive”, adding that reducing diesel price by Re one while cutting petrol price by Rs five was a cruel joke on the ‘farming community’.
While welcoming the allocation of Rs 3000 crore for waiving of loans of ‘landless farm labourers’ and the ‘families of farmers’ who had committed suicide, farmer leaders pointed out that budget ignored their demand of total debt waiver of small and marginal farmers, registration of private money lender as per Punjab Registration of Money lenders Act 1938.
“All farm machinery runs on diesel, be it combine harvesters, tractors, ploughers, happy seeder, straw management machinery. A one rupee reduction in diesel price is not going to change the fate of farmers in the state who are reeling under a crisis. It is a cruel joke,” said Sukhdev Singh Kokrikalan, General Secretary, Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) Ugrahan.
