February 8, 2022
Kalyan Banerjee speaks during the General Discussion on the Union Budget for 2022-23
Sir, this Budget does not show any ray of hope to combat unemployment and inflation.This is purely an antipeople Budget. Sir, very rightly our ex Finance Minister and presently the Principle Chief Advisor to the Chief Minister of West Bengal said that it appeared to be a “ misplaced dream of one or to people running the country”.
The allocation under rural job scheme, MGNREGA, has been reduced significantly at a time when India has 53 million unemployed people. The rural people and people in the informal sector have been hit hard owing to the COVID19 pandemic. The Budget Estimate for expenditure on rural job schemes in the financial year 2022-2023 is Rs. 73,000 crore but it is significantly lower than the Revised Estimates of Rs. 98,000 crore in the financial year 2021-2022. As of 28 January, 2022, the average man-days of MGNREGA fell to 44.33 in 2021-2022 against 51.52 in 2020-2021, and the Centre has released Rs. 80,322.65 crore against a total expenditure of Rs. 90,222.95 crore. The unemployment rate in January-April, 2016 was 57 per cent, which in September-December, 2021 Quarter stood above 62.58 per cent. The allocation under jobs and skill development scheme has been continuously declining since 2019-2020 despite rising unemployment in the country. The allocation under this scheme has significantly reduced to less than half from Rs. 5,608.5 crore in the financial year 2019-2020 to Rs. 2,688.2 crore in the financial year 2022-2023. They always speak about the Swachh Bharat Mission. Budget allocation under the Swachh Bharat Mission during the last financial year was Rs. 9,994.10 crore, which has been reduced to Rs. 7,192 crore in this financial year. The Budget allocation under core of the core schemes, as per the Revised Estimate of 2021-2022, was Rs. 1,21,152.87 crore. This has reduced to Rs. 99,214.7 crore. A total of 4.31 crore income-tax returns for the fiscal year 2020-21 have been filed as on December 25, 2021 in comparison to 5.59 crore income-tax returns filed for 2019-20. Out of the total 5.78 core individuals who filed their income-tax returns for the financial year 2018-19, only 1.46 crore individuals reported taxable income. This is just one per cent of the total Indian population. A further break-up would reveal that 3.16 lakh people reported an income of Rs.50 lakh. Our country is having 135 crore people. How efficient is the IncomeTax Department when it reports that only 3.16 lakh people earn an income of
more than Rs. 50 lakh? This picture shows that the Income-Tax Department has failed to find out the taxable persons who have not paid taxes. The Department is only running after those who are paying taxes. Those who are defaulters, those who are evading taxes, no figure of income-tax evaders would be provided by the Income-Tax Department. I would request the hon. Finance Minister to disclose the number of income-tax evaders. While the Budget talked about naari shakti by upgrading two lakh Anganwadis the allocation is frozen at the Revised Estimate stage of Rs.20,000 crore. Anganwadi workers are the helpers of the country who run the centres, which do not have basic infrastructure like drinking water and toilets. They are talking about toilets by stating that toilets are there everywhere, and toilets have been constructed in every village. Nothing. How will the Government make better infrastructurefor two lakh Anganwadi centres with no financial allocation? TheिschemeिofिWomen’sिSafetyिonिPublicिRoadिTransportिsawिaिdeclineि from Rs.100 crore in 2021-22 to only Rs.20 crore. From Rs.100 crore to Rs.20 crore! But the Government is speaking about toilets for women in villages, talking about Anganwadi workers by stating that the Government is doing this and that; creating infrastructure, building toilets; and talking about Naya Bharat. This is the picture! See! Sir, there is no major announcement in terms of social protection for the elderly and vulnerable population but tears are coming from the eyes of those who are speaking; and by stating that they are thinking about it. For both elderly and vulnerable population, nothing is provided. For instance, the allocation under the National Social Assistance Scheme
has marginally increased from Rs.9,200 crore in 2021-22 to only Rs.9,652 crore. How much is the increase – Rs.400 crore? The allocation under the Umbrella Programme for Development of Other Vulnerable Groups was reduced from Rs.2,140 crore to Rs.1,931 crore in 2022-23. In India, spending on social protection is 1.4 per cent of the GDP whereas the average lower middle-income countries are paying 2.5 per cent. Sir, no separate cash benefit has been given to salaried and middleclasses by not announcing any relief measures for them though these classes have been mostly affected due to pay cuts and high inflation. In the Budget for the financial year 2021-22 also, no cash in the hands of the common man was provided and the income-tax slabs were also kept unchanged. Although the Pandemic caused major social and economic disruption which led to poverty and loss of livelihood among masses but no short-term and long-term policy initiatives were taken to improve the livelihood of COVID-19
victims and for those who died of Covid. Tears are coming. They are the front runners. What you have given to these people? What benefit you have given? Those who have died in COVID. Sir, agriculture is the primary source of livelihood for about 58% of India’s population. The honourable Prime Minister wanted to double the farmer’s income by the year 2022, as mentioned in the NITI Aayog policy paper by Ramesh Chand – ‘Doubling Farmers Income: Rationalist Strategy Prospects and Action Plan’. The budget 2022-23 failed to show any fay of hope to the farmers with regard to the rise in their income. So many things are being said for COVID-19 like all the protective steps would be taken and all. So many hopes being given and so many big words are being said. Regarding health sector, the budget for the financial year 2022-23 was expected to spend more on health in order to combat
the upcoming wave. However, the allocation to the health sector has increased by an extremely negligible amount from Rs. 86,000 crore in 2021-22 to Rs. 86,200 crore. It has increased by only Rs. 200 crore when we are facing COVID19. This much is the allocation. Sir, the budget estimate for Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana in 2021-
22 was Rs. 6,400 crore. Everywhere, they speak about Jan Arogya Yojana, not only in the House, but outside also. The hon. Prime Minister speaks to the people also about Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana. The allocation for this Scheme was revised to just Rs. 3,199 crore and the actual spending in 2019-20 was Rs. 3,200 crore. … (व्यवधान) हम नेआपको कभी तडथटवथनहीं तकया, आप बैतठए। ThereिisिaिclearिmismatchिinिtheिbudgetिprojectionsिofिIndia’sिGDPिgrowthि
rate for 2022-23 as compared to the estimate given in the Economic Survey and by the RBI it. The projection for GDP growth rate as per budget for 2022-23 is 9.2 per cent, while the projection as per the Economic Survey is 8.8 per cent and as per the RBI is 7.9 per cent. In 2016, inflation was 4.5 per cent, GDP was 8.26 per cent; in 2017, inflation was 3.6 per cent, GDP was 6.8 per cent; in 2018, inflation was 3.43 per cent, GDP was 6.53 per cent; in 2019, inflation was 4.76 per cent, GDP was 4.04 per cent; and in 2020, inflation was 6.18 per cent, GDP was -7.25 per cent. Sir, the Government subsidies on food, fertilizers and petroleum are estimated to decline by 39 per cent, to Rs. 4,33,180 crore in the current fiscal and will further decline by 27 per cent to nearly Rs. 3,17,866 crore. The allocation for procurement to FCI under decentralisation procurement scheme has been reduced by about 28 per cent. They are talking about free food and free everything, but everything is being reduced. At a time when farmers are fighting for legally guaranteed MSP, allocation of funds for fertiliser subsidy has been reduced by 25 per cent from Rs.1,40,122.32 crore to Rs.1,05,222.32 crore. The rating from ICRA Limited has estimated the extra requirement of subsidy at Rs.1,30,000 crore to Rs.1,40,000 crore. No major announcements have been made in the Union Budget 2022-23 to reduce the burden of the State for implementing the schemes. I am giving just a few examples of the schemes. NFSA is implemented by the Government of India for providing subsidised food grains to poor families under Antyodaya Anna Yojana, and to individuals under Priority Households.The scales of distribution of food grains are different in these two routes. Under AAY, 20 kg wheat, 15 kg rice, and one kg sugar per month per family is provided. Under the PHH, two kg rice and three kg wheat per head per month is distributed.Sir, please give me four to five minutes. Since you are here, I have no difficulty. I am lucky that you are here. I will conclude. I will not take more time than three to four minutes. The amount due to our State as on 15th November, 2021 was Rs.742.8 crore. Moreover, budget on food subsidy has been cut by 28 per cent for the financial year 2022-23.
Sir, they speak so much about Scheduled Tribes and Scheduled Castes. Under Article 271(i) of the Constitution, funds for the Tribal Research Institute and pre and post-matric scholarship grants are given to the States. Funds due
to the Government of West Bengal on account of TRI are Rs.1.41 crore and the amount due as on 15th November, 2021 is Rs.31.59 crore. The State Disaster Response Fund is meant for disasters and cyclones. In May, 2021, a super cyclonic storm had hit the State leading to huge damages across West Bengal. The State was already impacted by the slowdown in economic activity and low revenue collection because of COVID-19. The State is yet to receive SDRF from the Government of India on account of damages caused by cyclones. Amount due as on 15th November, 2021 is Rs.4,222 crore. Our hon. Chief Minister repeatedly requested the hon. Prime Minister to kindly release this fund. It has not been done. Sir, 1970s witnessed a high inflation rate of nine per cent. In 1990s, liberalisation pushed down the fiscal deficit with inflation rate of 8.1 per cent. Today in 2022 with fiscal deficit at 9.4 per cent and inflation rate of 11 per cent, a secure awareness was expected which would have had a realistic, proper mathematics to solve the immediate issue of lives and livelihood with a human face than a virtual face, to infuse confidence in majority of the people of the country. Sir, there are number of points. Since you are cutting down my time, I will
abide by you. I will abide by it very humbly. Sir, I am sorry that our party cannot support this Budget. This Budget is
nothing. This Budget is an anti-people Budget. This Budget has shown certain imagination. This Budget will not help any single individual of this country except three people. Shall I take the names?They are famous industrialists.
This Government is there for three industrialists, nothing more than that. This Government is not for the poor people. This Government is not for the middle-class people. This Government is not for the Scheduled Castes. This
Government is not for the Scheduled Tribes. This Government is only for the Adanis and the Ambanis.
