CONFEDERATION PRESS STATEMENT ON BUDGET 2013

CONFEDERATION OF CENTRAL GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES AND WORKERS

Chq: Manishinath Bhawan, A/2/95 Rajouri Garden, New Delhi.110 027

E mail: confederation06@yahoo.co.in,Website:confederationhq.blogspot.com.

28^th February, 2013

PRESS STATEMENT

 Another pro-rich budget

The Union Budget 2013-14 presented by the Finance Minister Shri P. Chidambaram, today in the Parliament was extremely disappointing to the common working people . No doubt they have not expected any relief from this anti people Government and especially from its Finance Minister, Shri P.Chidambaram.  However, they hoped against hope that the Government will read the discontent that is growing fast amongst the people, manifested admirably in the two day strike of the Indian Working Class on 20^th and 21^st.  Despite the erosion of the real value of the wages due to the high rate of inflation, the wage earners genuinely thought that they would be provided with some relief by way of an adjustment of the non taxable maximum.  While the give away to the corporate sector continued as the Finance Minister himself has noted in his budget speech in as much as the revenue foregone on direct taxes did register an increase from a lakh crore rupees to Rs. 1.13 lakh Crores in the last year he never felt the need to address the agony of the workers. 

    

Despite the fall in the rate of growth of economy, the Finance Minister has taken pride in the fact that India continues to be one of the fast growing economy.  What type of growth he was visualizing is hard to gauge when the number of people below poverty line had been on the increase year after year.  There had been all-round increase in the prices of all essential commodities including those where the Government had a say in determining it.  The Railway Minister did not increase the fare for passenger trains for he did it before he presented the budget.  The economic growth and recovery would be a mirage so long as the purchasing power of people get depleted.  There had been substantial reduction of workforce in the organized sector due to intensified contractorisation.

 The pronouncement of increased allocation of funds for agriculture, rural development, education etc. is a travesty of truth.  The FM  has made comparison of the present allocation with the revised estimates of the previous year, which in fact was much lesser than 2011-12.  There had been gross underutilization of the allocated funds in respect of most of the welfare scheme of the Govt. last year.  While presenting the economic survey, the Finance Minister assured the country that the days of recession were over and the era of growth will usher in soon, which has only pleased the TNCs and corporate houses in the country. The FM has unambiguously spelt out the continuance of the neo liberal economic path of development with much more fervor in the months  to come.

  To expect that the Govt.  will address the concern of the common people and the working class is foolish, if the Budget proposal is any indication.   But how long the people  are to suffer this agony.  Every decision of this Government being anti-working people and the Budget being a policy pronouncement, we must strive our best to organize movement to oppose the disastrous  policies being pursued by the UPA Government. 

K.K.N. Kutty

Secretary General.