Agrarian crisis ignored, says Kisan Cong leader
The Kisan Congress criticised the Union Budget 2026–27 alleging that it has failed to address the crisis in agriculture and rural livelihoods despite signs of a slowdown in the sector flagged by the government’s own Economic Survey.
The organisation appealed to farmers and rural workers to protest against the budget and participate in the general strike scheduled for February 12.
Agri planner and National Coordinator of the Kisan Congress (AICC), Dhulipudi Srikanth, on Monday said the Finance Minister’s budget speech mentioned small and marginal farmers only once and made no reference at all to rural labour.
“At a time when farmers are under stress, the budget was expected to provide relief and renewed momentum. Instead, it has proved disappointing,” he said.
The allocation for the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare has been pegged at around Rs 1.40 lakh crore, marking a nominal increase of 5.3 per cent over the revised estimates for 2025–26. The organisation said that after adjusting for inflation, the increase does not amount to any real rise in agricultural spending.
On farmer support, the organisation said the budget offered no major relief measures, pointing to a cut in fertiliser subsidy from Rs 1.86 lakh crore to Rs 1.70 lakh crore and a reduction in food subsidy compared to last year’s revised figures.
