In the precincts of Chandigarh, Haryana’s helmsman, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, unfurled a fiscal tableau on Friday, unveiling a monumental budget of Rs 1.89 lakh crore for the upcoming financial year of 2024-25. Amidst the fervor of farmer protests burgeoning at the fringes of Punjab and Haryana, Khattar, while articulating his budgetary propositions, underscored his administration’s manifold endeavors for agrarian welfare, emphasizing the provisioning of Minimum Support Price (MSP) for a diverse array of 14 crops.
In a sweeping proclamation, Khattar, who dons the dual mantle of Chief Minister and Finance Minister, avowed the remission of interest and penalties attached to crop loans procured by farmers from Primary Agriculture Credit Societies (PACS). Elaborating on this fiscal exoneration, he declared, “I proffer the waiver of interest and penalty on crop loans, subject to the condition that said loans were availed prior to September 30, 2023, and the principal amount is liquidated by May 31, 2024, contingent upon the farmer’s enrollment with MFMB (Meri Fasal Mera Byora).”
He stipulated that such loans ought to have been acquired by farmers registered on the MFMB portal, subsequently rendering them eligible for crop loans from PACS during the Kharif season. As Khattar enunciated this fiscal alleviation, Leader of the Opposition Bhupinder Singh Hooda interjected, questioning, “You extol the virtues of farmers, yet why wield the NSA (National Security Act) against them? The agrarian community is protesting at Haryana’s borders.”
In rejoinder, Khattar affirmed, “As dear as farmers are to you, they are equally cherished by us. I am a scion of agriculture, intimately acquainted with the tribulations of the farming populace. Whether my announced schemes for farmers sit uneasy with you or elicit disapproval, I remain resolute.” On the same day, Haryana Police rescinded their earlier decision to invoke NSA provisions against certain farmer leaders participating in the ongoing agrarian agitation.
This decision materialized a day after Ambala police communicated their execution of the process to detain office bearers of protesting farmer factions under section 2(3) of the National Security Act, 1980, citing the imperative to uphold law and order and preclude criminal activities. At the vanguard of the ‘Delhi Chalo’ march, the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM) persist in pressing the government to accede to their demands, including a statutory assurance of Minimum Support Price for crops and the absolution of farm loans.
Within the precincts of the state assembly, while delineating the budget, Khattar additionally heralded an augmentation in financial compensation from Rs 50 lakh to Rs 1 crore for families of soldiers succumbing in the line of duty. He also unveiled the provision for 1,000 kilometers of complimentary travel in Haryana Roadways for nearly 22.89 lakh families with an annual income of Rs 1 lakh, benefitting 84 lakh individuals, incurring an estimated expenditure of Rs 600 crore.
A startup fund of Rs 10 crore is slated for inauguration, aimed at incentivizing drone manufacturing in Haryana, as per Khattar’s announcement. The administration plans to train women in operating drones for agricultural purposes, endearingly termed as ‘drone didis.’ Khattar elucidated, “The state will facilitate access to drones, potentially available for rent for agricultural endeavors. Further details will be communicated through a subsequent notification.”
Additionally, the Chief Minister declared the elevation of the monthly allowance for freedom fighters from Rs 25,000 to Rs 40,000. He also proposed the establishment of 400 new sports nurseries within the state, coupled with the advent of two high-performance centers dedicated to boxing and wrestling in Panipat and Sonepat, slated for realization in the fiscal year 2024-25. The budget for the sports sector is earmarked at Rs 578 crore for 2024-25, a notable surge from the Rs 432 crore allocation in 2023-24, as articulated by the Chief Minister. Khattar underscored the integration of 21 vegetables and fruit crops into the “Bhavantar Bharpai Yojana” to mitigate farmers’ risks, noting a 67% reduction in stubble burning incidents in Haryana over the past two years.