Rs 30,000 crore will go to states to improve APMC infra: FM

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By Ashish Mitra --
Saturday, 13 Feb, 2021

Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman has clarified that the Union Budget proposal of collecting Rs 30,000 crore through Agriculture Infrastructure and Development Cess will go to the states so that mandi infrastructure can be improved.

Amid ongoing protests by farmers and the Opposition to repeal controversial farm laws, Sitharaman said that not even one Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) has been shut in any state and instead the Budget makes provision to strengthen such market places for farmers. She was replying to a general debate on the Budget for 2021-22 in the Lok Sabha.

Taking a dig at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Sitharaman said that the United Progressive Alliance government can take credit for MGNREGA, but at the same time should own up to mismanagement in the rural employment scheme. “The moment schemes are given birth, they are misused to favour cronies,” she said. “Hum do humaare do” comes here, she added. Gandhi had taken a dig at the BJP government earlier for promoting crony capitalism, calling the government hum do humaare do.

She said the Congress government made huge budget allocations for the scheme, but had not utilised the allocated amount. “Either they don’t care for it or they give their cronies and actually forget the workers,” she said.

Rs 1.11 trillion has been the increased allocation for MGNREGA for the ongoing financial year, but until April it may be utlised only to the extent of Rs 90,000 crore, she said. However, the allocation and utilisation has been the highest ever, she added.

Sitharaman said the government’s cronies are the common people of the country and those for whom schemes were announced for making toilets, houses, providing electricity among others.

Rs 30,000 crore will go to states to improve APMC infra: FM. Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman has clarified that the Union Budget proposal of collecting Rs 30,000 crore through Agriculture Infrastructure and Development Cess will go to the states so that mandi infrastructure can be improved.

Amid ongoing protests by farmers and the Opposition to repeal controversial farm laws, Sitharaman said that not even one Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) has been shut in any state and instead the Budget makes provision to strengthen such market places for farmers. She was replying to a general debate on the Budget for 2021-22 in the Lok Sabha.

Taking a dig at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Sitharaman said that the United Progressive Alliance government can take credit for MGNREGA, but at the same time should own up to mismanagement in the rural employment scheme. “The moment schemes are given birth, they are misused to favour cronies,” she said. “Hum do humaare do” comes here, she added. Gandhi had taken a dig at the BJP government earlier for promoting crony capitalism, calling the government hum do humaare do.

She said the Congress government made huge budget allocations for the scheme, but had not utilised the allocated amount. “Either they don’t care for it or they give their cronies and actually forget the workers,” she said.

Rs 1.11 trillion has been the increased allocation for MGNREGA for the ongoing financial year, but until April it may be utlised only to the extent of Rs 90,000 crore, she said. However, the allocation and utilisation has been the highest ever, she added.

Sitharaman said the government’s cronies are the common people of the country and those for whom schemes were announced for making toilets, houses, providing electricity among others.