Assam: All India Trade Union Congress slams Union Budget 2025-26

A CORRESPONDENT

DIBRUGARH: The All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) Assam State Committee said that the Budget 2025-2026 belies the hopes of workers, farmers, and unemployed youth and had no relief for the common man from price rise of essential commodities.

“The Budget 2025-2026 reflects that there is continuity of policies which have resulted in the increase of inequalities since the Modi Government came to power. This Budget would also lead in that direction,” stated Ranjan Chowdhury, Secretary AITUC, Assam State Committee.

He said, “There were loud statements from the finance minister while presenting the budget which lacks substance for the downtrodden sections. The track record of this government has been to announce schemes and never inform the nation on their implementation.”

“This budget is another blow to informal economy workers, unemployed youth, poor, and marginal farmers who are ignored. The budget does not do justice to the needs of our people for more needed allocation to education, health, drinking water, shelter to the poor, marginal and lower income group people. The cosmetic announcements are short lived to garner votes only,” he said.

He further added, “The raise in the tax relaxation to the middle class is made but the price rise of essential commodities has already brought hardship to the people and this budget fails to address the issue of inflation. The wage depression is the scenario due to inflation. The fact is revealed by the Economic Survey that the monthly wage of self-employed and the salaried has gone down in 2023-2024 from 2017-2018.”

“In case of self-employed men, the wage is lower by 9.1 percent and for females by 32 percent in this mentioned period. Similarly for the salaried, class reduction was 6.4 percent for males and 12.5 percent for females. During this very period, the corporations increased their wealth by 22.3 percent. Stealing the wages of working people is one of the major factors in that. Employment expanded only by 1.5 percent as per the same survey. The expenses on education and health have increased exorbitantly which is a burden on the poor sections of the people, including the middle class. Hence, this so-called jubilation of increase in the tax slab for the middle class is more of a propaganda, specially to garner votes in the assembly elections in Delhi and the coming election in Bihar.”

“To keep its ally in Bihar within NDA fold and in view of the forthcoming election in the state, the schemes were announced but there is no guarantee that they would be realised as the earlier track record is miserable. Its agenda of privatisation and sale of public sector enterprises and public services continues with vengeance. 100 percent FDI is announced for the insurance sector which would impact the middle and lower middle classes as well as the farming community adversely.”

He said, “The government continues its failed schemes of ELI and production-linked incentives which did not help generate better paid jobs but served the interest of corporates and continues in the new form of incentives in some other areas. The Budget talks big about increased credit facilities to MSMEs but does not give the desired packages for the revival of those units which were pushed to closure because of unplanned demonetisation and GST policies.”

“Agrarian crisis is not addressed, rather the new scheme namely National Policy Framework on Agricultural Marketing announced a few days ago will further add to the miseries of farmers to push them out of farming. The funds to MGNREGA are not increased as per required, nor the days of work increased. The demand by central trade unions to have urban employment guarantee scheme is also ignored,” he stated.

“It is very easy to say that migration should be an option and not a necessity, but that requires direct investment into the creation of jobs. The Finance Minister has done nothing in that regard but has offered several incentives to the employees in various sectors claiming that this would generate jobs. It is well known as per government records of implementation of announced schemes that this will remain a mirage,” Chowdhury said.

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