Srinagar, Feb 09 (KNS) ; CPI leader and MLA, Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami, on Monday said intervening in the budget discussion stated that a recent meeting regarding a trade deal between the United States and our government had taken place. He claimed the Indian government had agreed to U.S. diktats, including the cessation of oil purchases from our time-tested friend, Russia, which directly impinges upon our sovereignty.
In a statement issued to news agency Kashmir News Service (KNS), Under this arrangement, all American goods—including apples, peanuts, soybeans, and other agricultural products—would be allowed into India at zero tariff with no protective barriers. In contrast, Indian goods entering the American market would continue to face an 18 percent tariff. It is therefore clear who stands to gain and who stands to lose.
This trade deal is bound to have a severe adverse impact on our agricultural sector, particularly on products such as apples, peanuts, soybeans, and several other farm commodities.
In the absence of a legally guaranteed Minimum Support Price (MSP), as recommended by the commission headed by the eminent agricultural scientist, the late Dr. Swaminathan, farmers are left with mere assurances that have not been implemented on the ground.
This trade agreement will prove to be a major blow not only to the national economy but also, in particular, to the economy of Jammu and Kashmir.
Budgeting, in simple terms, is the management of tax revenues and public expenditure. It must be noted that we have lost our fiscal autonomy in the past and, in the absence of a viable resource base, are now excessively dependent on central funds. Our own tax revenues account for barely 25 percent of our total budgetary requirements.
Whatever central assistance is due to other states and union territories is equally due to our region. However, what is urgently required is a stronger emphasis on boosting internal resource mobilisation through the promotion of local economic activity.
Farmers in both Jammu and Kashmir are facing severe distress due to floods, erratic rainfall, and repeated highway blockades, which have resulted in massive crop losses. Adequate compensation, particularly a one-time remission of Kisan Credit Card (KCC) loans, would provide much-needed relief to the affected farming community.
The issue of discrimination is repeatedly raised in this House. What we require today is balanced and inclusive industrialisation across the region.
Click Here To Follow Our WhatsApp ChannelThe government’s own data reveals a clear pattern of regional and sub-regional discrimination in the creation of industrial infrastructure.
The Jammu region commands 29,713 kanals of industrial land, whereas the Kashmir region has only 2,188 kanals—a disparity for which there is no economic, geographic, or strategic justification. However, the discrimination does not end there. Even within Jammu, nearly 98 percent of industrial estates are concentrated in the plains, leaving the remaining areas of the region with a token share of merely 2 percent.
A similar exclusionary pattern is evident in Kashmir as well. North Kashmir and districts like Kulgam have been virtually abandoned in terms of industrial development.
Merely adopting a humane approach towards daily wagers and casual labourers is insufficient unless it is followed by their expeditious regularisation. There is no ad hoc or temporary solution to their plight; only concrete and time-bound steps towards regularisation can address their long-pending concerns.
There is also considerable ambiguity regarding social security measures for scheme workers. Anganwadi workers and helpers must be provided an honorarium on par with their counterparts in other states and union territories.
Specially abled persons deserve far greater attention. They continue to face both physical and social neglect. The existing social security assistance is meagre and grossly inadequate to meet even basic needs. It must be enhanced to at least ?3,000 per month.
The Special Police Officers (SPOs) are paid a meagre honorarium despite the critical nature of the services they render. Their remuneration needs to be enhanced substantially. Similarly, Numberdars and Chowkidars are also inadequately compensated, and their honorarium should be increased.
At the same time, the measures proposed for job creation and relief to Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) families—including the provision of six free gas cylinders and a waiver of educational fees—are welcome and positive steps.
In addition, there is a pressing need to consider the introduction of a “Climate Budget” in view of the region’s fragile ecosystem and its location in the Himalayan range, which makes it highly vulnerable to cloudbursts, flash floods, and landslides. (KNS)