Not even a penny for farmers in the Center’s economic package; PM, FM must apologize: Congress | India News



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NEW DELHI: Congress on Friday accused the government of being “insensitive” to farmers and demanded that the prime minister and finance minister apologize for neglecting them in the COVID-19 economic package.
Congress chief spokesman Randeep Surjewala said the so-called 20-lakh rupee rupee package to offset the economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic has proven to be a “jumla package” and reflects the “voodoo economy” followed by the Prime Minister and The Minister of Finance.
He said the government has not put a single penny in the pocket of farmers or farm workers through the package and claimed that farmers have lost more than Rs 50 billion this season from Rabi.
“One thing is absolutely clear that the so-called Rs 20-lakh crore economic package has proven to be a jumla package. It reflects the ‘voodoo’ economy followed by the prime minister and the finance minister,” Surjewala said in a press. conference via videoconference.
He said that the prime minister and the finance minister only speak great things and indulge in headline management, but they have not done anything concrete for farmers or any other sector of society.
Surjewala said that farmers lost Rs 21 billion rupees from the sale of wheat below the minimum support price (MSP) and an equal amount through other crops such as chana, sarson and masoor, while other Rs 10 billion rupees were lost by selling vegetables and fruits
He claimed that since the markets were closed and farmers have to sell at emergency prices, as the government was buying only 26.5 percent of Rabi’s harvest on MSP.
“Neither farmers nor agricultural workers will benefit from these jumla announcements by the finance minister. Today, farmers and agricultural workers are frustrated and disappointed,” he said.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday gave details of the third tranche of the Center’s economic package and announced relief for agriculture and allied industries.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced earlier this week a cumulative package of Rs 20 lakh crore (almost 10 percent of GDP) to provide relief to various segments of the economy hit by the coronavirus blockade.

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