Once again, the budget has exposed the true colours of the government at the Centre, as being a hostage to crony capitalism. It is evident that the subsidies and other benefits given to the “farmers” would be literally garnered by the corporate agribusiness companies and hardly a speck would reach to the aam kisan. This shows, how ashamedly our government is bending over backwards to implement the structural adjustments effected in our policies – thanks to neo-liberalism. The UPA government has failed to understand the root problem plaguing the domestic agriculture, the suicides committed by over two lakh farmers during the past 15 years notwithstanding. The farmers are left to depend on the non-government players, right from the purchase of seeds and fertilizers to the sale of the yield. A day may not be far off, when the whole of the country’s land would be leased out to the agribusiness companies and our farmers would be reduced to be the end-users.
Syed Sultan Mohiddin
Kadapa, A.P.