Kumaraswamy commends Modi govt for budget favouring agriculture, women and youth

PTI, Feb 1, 2024, 5:03 PM IST

Source: PTI / File

Bengaluru: JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy on Thursday praised the interim budget presented by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman as pro-people, pro-development and progressive.

He said it is indicative of the programmes that could figure in the full-scale budget — which will be presented after the Lok Sabha polls — and highlighted the allocations made in the interim budget particularly with regard to agriculture.

”I am delighted that the budget has a provision to make India self-sufficient in producing different oil seeds. This will benefit farmers across the country. The focus on developing agriculture-centric infrastructure for aggregating, warehousing, marketing branding, etc., is a welcome step,” Kumaraswamy said.

He conveyed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for focusing on farmer welfare in the budget, saying it was a mission of his party JD(S) too. ”I’m also enthused by the benefit our farmers would get from introducing nano-DAP fertiliser. I am thankful to PM Narendra Modi for his continued focus on the welfare of the farmers, which has been the lifelong mission of former PM H D Deve Gowda and the JD(S),” he said.

Kumaraswamy noted that ‘Stree Shakthi’ is an essential pillar of the budget, and commended PM Modi for the ‘Lakhpati Didi Yojana’ which aims at increasing the number of Lakshadhipati Didis to three crore by assisting women Self Help Groups.

Highlighting the significance of skill enhancement initiatives in a nation where almost 50 per cent of the population are youth, he noted that the Vishwakarma Yojana, Mudra Loan Yojana, and Skill India Mission would empower them. Rather than become job seekers, the youth would become self-employable through training, and with easy access to loans they would become job givers, he said, lauding PM Modi’s ”true vision of Viksit Bharat”..

Kumaraswamy also noted the push for tourism and fisheries in the interim budget, with an emphasis on job creation through tourism development.

Expressing hope that the full budget presented after the general elections would allocate substantial funds for Karnataka, the JD(S) leader said he would soon speak candidly to central leaders of ally BJP regarding development of the state.

”We will persuade the Centre to set right the injustice that has happened to the state. I will sincerely raise my voice on behalf of the people of the state,” he said.