Budget anti-poor, anti-middle class, data not credible: Amit Mitra

Addressing a press conference, Mitra said key sectors impacting farmers, youth and weaker sections have seen steady cuts over the years, while headline allocations failed to translate into actual spending. On fertiliser subsidy, Mitra alleged that allocation has been reduced from 4.04 per cent of total expenditure in 2015-16 to 3.19 per cent in the current Budget estimates.

Principal chief adviser to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and state finance department Amit Mitra on Sunday described the Union Budget as ''anti-poor, anti-farmer and anti-middle class'' and criticised the sharp reductions in social sector allocations compared with 2015-16. Addressing a press conference, Mitra said key sectors impacting farmers, youth and weaker sections have seen steady cuts over the years, while headline allocations failed to translate into actual spending. Citing education, he said expenditure ideally should have been 5-6 per cent of total expenditure but in reality it has declined from 3.8 per cent in 2015-16 to 2.60 per cent in the current Budget estimates. ''At a time when the world is increasing education spending, India is cutting it. Education expenditure should be close to 5–6 per cent, but this Budget moves in the opposite direction,'' he alleged. On fertiliser subsidy, Mitra alleged that allocation has been reduced from 4.04 per cent of total expenditure in 2015-16 to 3.19 per cent in the current Budget estimates. ''This is a critical cut and is anti-farmer,'' he said. He also flagged reduced allocations for weaker sections of the society-- Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, OBCs and minorities, stating that spending declined from 0.21 per cent of the total Budget in 2015-16 to 0.19 per cent, and is estimated to fall further. ''This shows neglect of weaker sections,'' Mitra said. Questioning the credibility of announced Budget figures, Mitra pointed to wide gaps between Budget estimates, revised estimates and actual expenditure in major schemes. For Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban), he said the 2024-25 budget estimate of around Rs 30,170 crore was revised to Rs 13,670 crore, while actual expenditure stood at only Rs 5,815 crore. Similar patterns were seen in PMAY (Gramin) and Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban), he added. ''These examples show that Budget estimates are not reliable. By the time actual figures come, allocations collapse,'' Mitra said. He further alleged that the Budget failed to address capital outflows and unemployment, citing huge withdrawal of foreign investments and persistently high joblessness, particularly among the youth. ''The Budget was projected as pro-growth and employment-driven. But when education, agriculture, housing and welfare are cut, it raises a fundamental question - for whom is this Budget?'' Mitra asked. On the budget announcement of a new freight corridor from Dankuni to Surat, Mitra expressed skepticism regarding the government's promises to implement the project. He said the existing freight corridors have remained unfulfilled for ten years and the announced Dankuni to Varanasi project is currently stalled at the Bihar border. In contrast to these delays, he asserted that their own administration is already executing corridor projects, with three segments currently under execution and plans for three more to follow. To a question on the increased tax on sin goods, Mitra said the Centre was taking money away from states by imposing cesses under the garb of taxation. He also referred to an IMF report on data adequacy for surveillance, saying India has now been graded 'C'. He added that West Bengal would present its own Budget, which would demonstrate how the state government is navigating these challenges.

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