11/12/2018 Fourteenth Loksabha Session : 7 Date : 09-03-2006 Participants : Deo Shri Bikram Keshari,Jalappa Shri R.L.,Jha Shri Raghunath,Kathiria Dr. Vallabhbhai,Krishnan Dr. C.,Mahato Shri Bir Sing,Mandal Shri Sanat Kumar,Shaheen Shri Abdul Rashid,Shakya Shri Raghuraj Singh,Singh Dr. Ram Lakhan,Suman Shri Ramji Lal,Swain Shri M.A. Kharabela,Varma Shri Ratilal Kalidas,Yerrannaidu Shri Kinjarapu,Athithan Shri Dhanuskodi,Jai Parkash Shri ,Chavda Shri Harisinh,Mallikarjunaiah Shri S.,Singh Shri Mohan,Azmi Shri Iliyas,Barq Shri Shafiqur Rahman,Kharventhan Shri Salarapatty Kuppusamy,Sharma Dr. Arvind,Veerendra Kumar Shri M. P.,Yadav Shri Ram Kripal,Reddy Shri Suravaram Sudhakar,Satpathy Shri Tathagata,Yadav Shri Sita Ram,Rijiju Shri Kiren,Gao Shri Tapir,Reddy Shri Karunakara G.,Gowda Shri D.V. Sadananda,Madhwaraj Smt. Manorama,Channappa Shri Kunnur Manjunath,Moghe Shri Krishna Murari,Khanna Shri Avinash Rai,Lagadapati Shri Rajagopal,Nikhil Kumar Shri ,Thummar Shri Virjibhai,Patel Shri Jivabhai Ambalal,Jindal Shri Naveen,Chander Kumar Shri ,Meinya Dr. Thokchom,Rana Shri Gurjeet Singh,Aaron Rashid Shri J.M.,Narbula Shri Dawa,Gandhi Shri Rahul,Shivanna Shri M,Vinod Kumar Shri B.,Owaisi Shri Asaduddin,Pathak Shri Brajesh,Wangyuh Shri W.,Munshiram Shri ,Mufti Ms. Mehbooba,Bose Shri Subrata,Ravichandran Shri A.,Ramadass Prof. M.,Dhillon Shri Sharanjit Singh,Pookunhikoya Dr. P.,Panda Shri Brahmananda,Singh Shri Sugrib,Sugavanam Shri E.G.,Singh Shri Sitaram,Mehta Shri Alok Kumar,Vijay Krishna Shri ,Paswan Shri Virchandra,Budholiya Shri Rajnarayan,Babu Rao Shri Mediyam,Satheedevi Smt. P.,Manoj Dr. K.S.,Bellarmin Shri A.V.,Singh Shri Manvendra,Charenamai Shri Mani,Fanthome Shri Francis ,Hooda Mr. Deepender Singh an> Title : Combined discussion on Budget (2006-07) supplementary Demands for Grants (2005-06) and Demands for Excess Grants (2003-04). DR. P.P. KOYA (LAKSHADWEEP): Hon. Speaker, Sir, the presentation of a Budget for a particular financial year, threadbare discussions with the participation of all sections of Parliament, reply by the hon. Finance Minister and passing of the Budget along with Demands for Grants etc. are annual exercises binding upon the Parliament and its Members. However, it gives an insight into the current state of the economy and financial health of the country; and budgetary allotment for the next financial year reflecting the policy and programmes of the Government in power. Hence it is 1/302 11/12/2018 customary for everybody to wait for the presentation of the annual Budget in the Parliament, reaction of the public on the Budget, opinion of the experts in the field and reflection of the Members of both the Houses of Parliament are all routine affairs. Everyone in this country was waiting for the presentation of the Budget 2006-07 by the hon. Finance Minister with the hope that the UPA Government will come out with an outstanding budget incorporating Common Minimum Programme and befitting to the slogan that the ‘Sarkar ke haath, aam admiyon ke saath’. But unfortunately the Union Budget 2006-07 is turned out to be a big non-event. The Budget could be described as a timid one, anti-poor, anti-farmer, anti-labour and anti-people as a whole. The Finance Minister has lost an important opportunity in providing big push to economy. He is satisfied with the inbuilt momentum and is relaxed with the 8 per cent growth. There is hardly any evidence of measures that would take the economic growth to a higher plane of ten per cent growth rate. Remember this is when the food prices are going up, petrol; diesel and LPG prices sky-rocketing, large chunk of labourers are thrown out of sick public sector undertakings. A large scale migration taking place from rural to urban areas in search of food and employment. How can the Finance Minister be happy about the physical health of the economy. So, it goes without saying that the electoral compulsions seem to have made the Finance Minister’s instincts to present such a Budget and take up the big-ticket reforms. There is no mention in the Budget Speech about the long pending labour reforms, concrete proposals to revive the sick industries, schemes to prevent ever increasing suicide by farmers and put an end to privatisation of profit-making PSUs. I think the Finance Minister will agree that the unemployment rate is growing faster than the GDP and there is no reference in the Budget to address this aspect. The ever-increasing number of educated youths who are not accepted by industry or service sector is an issue that has also not been addressed. The National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme which is offered as a remedy to all the illness of poverty is falling short of expectation and practicability[r21]. Under this scheme one-third of the districts in the country is only covered. Again 100 days out of 365 days is only visualized and that too only one member of a family is covered under the scheme. From this analytical statement it is clear that only a peanut has been offered against the demands of a huge mountain. 2/302 11/12/2018 Sir, it is surprising to note that there is no mention in the Budget Speech about the oil prices and recommendations of the Rangarajan Committee which have been skipped in the Budget conveniently. The Finance Minister knows pretty well that he has to accede to the Rangarajan Committee Report sooner or later and it will lead to a sharp increase in the prices of diesel, petrol and LPG which in turn will lead to rise in prices of all the essential commodities and thereby making the life of the poor people more miserable. The Finance Minister appears to have a strong aversion to any thing small. I think I have to invite the attention of the hon. Finance Minister to a good old saying in English that `Small is beautiful’ especially it holds good in the current Indian scenario. India is basically an agricultural country and as the Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi said the souls of India remain in villages and hence we cannot ignore the agricultural sector, agro industries and small scale industries which support 80 per cent of the country’s population. Hence, de-reservation of 180 items from SSI and similar activities are not going to help ease the problems of the rural poor. Hon. Speaker, Sir, the Finance Minister has dealt a crippling blow to the co- operative banking sector by withdrawing tax benefits available to them. Nearly 2000 small co-operative banks that are not scheduled have been left out of the purview of section 80 (C) and will thus stand to lose badly in competition to larger commercial banks. These proposals reflect the contemptuous disposition of the Finance Minister towards the co-operative sector. It appears to be a part of over all scheme of handing over the agricultural and rural economy to large commercial and foreign banks that will have no sympathy to small farmers and self-employed people in the informal sector. These are dangerous indications. Sir, I would like to invite the kind attention of the hon. Finance Minister to a fact known to everybody and that is about the large scale suicide of farmers that is taking place all over the country. We all know as to why they are resorting to such an extreme step. Farmers in general and the village farmers in particular value their honour, respect and above all sentiments. When they are unable to repay their compounding loan amount due to failure of the farm sector they prefer to die rather than facing humiliations of a prosecution or attachment of their property. We are all proud of our farmers who brought out the Green Revolution and subsequent self-sufficiency in food sector. But we have to accept the fact that the successive Governments miserably failed to come out with suitable projects to save the lives of thousands of our farmers. As we all know many of the hon. Members of Parliament are getting letters from farmers from all over the country seeking permission to commit suicide 3/302 11/12/2018 due to their inability to pay the compounding loan amount. I do not know how I could react to this legally. But it is a fact that I have been getting such letters and I am sure many other hon. Members also must be getting similar letters seeking permission to commit suicide because they are unable to bear such heavy burden of loan. Sir, the hon. Finance Minister seems to enjoy in dipping his finger in every conservable service in the service sector[snb22]. Without being [bru23]mindful of the cumulative effects on the economy, I am sure these moves will accelerate the process of India fast becoming a high cost economy without protecting the interests of vast majority of the people whose income cannot keep up with the race in the economic cost. In the scenario, the unorganised and informal sector are being progressively pushed out. As you know, the FIIs and FDIs are not being dealt with separately as far as capping is concerned. Sir, the allocation for two major segments, namely, defence and rural development has not been done adequately or appropriately. It appears that the budget presented by the UPA Government for the year 2006-07 is more or less a ritual, routine and very casual one. It is not poised for overall development and the latent mystery of the Budget could be revealed once the Budget proposals start rolling under the pressure of hiked fuel prices. I think it is a deliberate attempt to buy time and withhold the senses of the poor people of India till the next round of State elections.