Include Rs 3880 cr pending paddy bonus in agri budget: Cong

Raipur, February 18, 2012

Reacting sharply on government’s plan to present separate agriculture budget for next fiscal, the Congress said it would only be worthy when pending paddy bonus of the farmers amounting Rs 3880 crore would be included in it.

“The government owes this massive sum to the farmers. The separate agriculture budget will be insignificant if it would not make provision of pending paddy bonus in it,” said PCC vice presidents Pradeep Choubey, Baijnath Chandrakar, Kawasi Lakhma and party’s chief spokesperson Shailesh Nitin Trivedi jointly on Saturday.

“The government is planning to present general budget of Rs 36000 crore for 2012-13 but has made provision of only 3600 crore in agriculture sector which is insufficient. Ironically, 78 percent of Chhattisgarh’s population is dependent on agriculture-related works, but the government wants to spend on ten percent of the total budget in this sector. Again, the government’s anti-farmer face appears in its budget allocation policy,” the Congmen ridiculed.

They said the ruling party was playing filthy politics by not fulfilling its promise of Rs 270 paddy bonus to the farmers.

“In 2008-09, the farmers received Rs 220 bonus against per quintal of paddy, i.e. Rs 50 less from the promise made by the government. The total paddy procured in 2008-09 was 35 lakh tonne. Considering payment of 35 lakh tonne at the rate of Rs 50 per quintal, the farmers did not receive Rs 175 crore in that financial year,” the Congress leaders said.

“Similarly, in 2009-10 and 2010-11, the government disbursed Rs 50 paddy bonus. So, in both fiscals, the farmers incurred loss of Rs 220 paddy bonus. In 2009-10, the government procured 45 lakh tonne paddy. Hence, the farmers’ loss at the rate of Rs 220 per quintal for 45 lakh tonne paddy was Rs 990 crore. While the total paddy procurement in 2010-11 was 51 lakh tonne and the farmers’ loss at the rate of Rs 220 per quintal for this amount was Rs 1122 crore,” they said.

“For 2011-12, the government is claiming to have purchased 59 lakh tonne paddy from the farmers. The bonus amount of 59 lakh tonne paddy at the rate of Rs 270 per quintal is Rs 1593 crore. Hence, since four financial years, Rs 3880 crore paddy bonus is pending,” they added.

Notably, during the recently held Vidhan Sabha-level workers’ meeting at Khairagarh the PCC president Nandkumar Patel had announced that the Congress would disburse the pending bonus amount of Rs 3880 crore to the farmers if it would get public mandate in next Assembly elections. The Congmen reiterated that the party would not deviate from its promise as is habit of the ruling BJP.