Central Budget 2021-2022
A neo-liberal policy tool to Accelerate the Transfer of India ’ s Wealth to India ’ s Corporates and the Foreign Finance Capital
The Central Budget 2021- 2022 worth Rs . 34,83,236 crore reflects the continuation of aggressive implementation of economic reforms especially in the last six years . No hidden Agenda ! The government announces that it is bold enough to transform the Budget , a powerful fiscal tool , into a strong neo-liberal policy instrument by successfully delinking from the goal of socialistic pattern of society . The denial of peoplecentred development model has been popularised as a “ great achievement .” It is a bitter truth and a great tragedy . The finance minister ‘ proudly ’ accepts that the Budget is formulated under the frame work of recently declared “ Atma Nirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan ” which is the acceleration of economic reforms . Therefore , the Budget is not merely pro corporate but a clear and strong strategy to hand over the entire wealth of our nation to powerful foreign / domestic global corporate forces . For its successful and smooth implementation , the government started to lay strong foundation , from abolition of planning commission to amendments and liberalisation of various Laws and Acts , including the present Farm Laws and labour code which destroys the nation and throws the lives of majority into severe crisis .
In this context , it is of utmost significance to discuss and analyse the Central Budget 2021-2022 as patriots , to assess its impact on the survival of our nation and its people . What are the Budget proposals for farmers , labour , poor ,
March , April - 2021 unemployed , MSMEs and informal sector ?
It is clear to note that neither the economic survey nor the Budget recognise the seriousness of the ongoing farmers ’ agitation over the past 70 days demanding the ‘ Repeal of the Black Farm Laws ’. Instead , both are adamantly supporting these laws and advocating that ‘ Contract Farming ’ is the only solution to double the Farm Income by 2022 . The ruling class clearly knows that this is the only way to alienate the farmer from the cultivable land and hand it over to the powerful corporate forces .
In the Budget speech , the finance minister claims that ‘ Labour Reforms ’ are one of the great achievements . Its main aim is to strengthen ‘ ease of doing business ’ by making retrenchments easier , by curbing labour strikes and by increasing working hours per day and the fixation of the minimum wage at Rs . 178 per day which is less than the MGNREGA wages at Rs . 182 per day .
The present government has full clarity on the source of wealth . Karl Marx strongly stated that labour and nature are the true sources of wealth . Therefore , establishing domination of corporate forces on labour and nature is a necessary pre-condition to enable them to appropriate entire wealth generated in our country .
The Budget also claims that with the ‘ Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana ’ announced during Corona Lockdown period , it provided i ) Free Food grains for 800 million people for three months ii ) Free cooking gas for 80 million households iii ) One Nation , One Ration Card , useful to the migrant labour with which they can get the remaining ration at their respective work places .
The Budget fails to address the plight of migrant labour , rural distress , starvation , the serious problem of unemployment , MSMEs , as well as suffering informal sector . Moreover , the Budget as well as the present economic model has no agenda to ensure inclusion of all the people in the process of development so as to assure decent livelihoods to all .
The budget , for the last 3 years has usually been announcing insurance scheme , loan provision , and decrease in margin money for the marginalised sections . The MSMEs and middle class are given exemption from audit under certain conditions . The States are given enhanced 4 % borrowing of GSDP . It must be noted that out of Rs . 21 lac . crore package announced in Atma Nirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan , as little as 3.2 % is spent so far . The promised loan of 10,000 crore to MSMEs did not materialise so far . It is shocking to notice that despite the plight of rural people and migrant labour , the allocations to MGNREGA are only Rs . 73,000 crore which is less than the last budget allocations . Similarly , the amount allocated to Women and Child Welfare is Rs . 24,430 crore where as it is Rs . 30,007 crore in the last budget . Moreover , several schemes have been regrouped without proper allocations .
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