The NDA government has taken the populist route to woo the masses in the crucial interim budget 2019. Presenting the budget 2019, stand-in Finance Minister Piyush Goyal has proposed a slew of announcements to appease the poor in the country.
Goyal increased the allocation for India's flagship rural employment scheme, Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee (MGNREGA) scheme—it will get Rs 60,000 crore as against Rs 55,000 crore promised in the last budget.
A pension scheme called the Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Mandhan is being launched to provide assured monthly pension of Rs 3,000 per month, with the contribution of Rs 100 per month, for workers in unorganised sector after 60 years of age. These workers will have to contribute only Re 1 per month from age 29 towards this scheme. The government will contribute the rest. The scheme will begin from this year.
More than 42 crore in the unorganised sector, including domestic helps, will be covered under the scheme.
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In addition, Goyal also announced the PM Kisan Yojana with farmers getting Rs 6,000 per year through direct bank transfer in three instalments. The scheme will be fully financed by the Union government. The scheme has a budget outlay of Rs 75,000 crore for financial year 2019-20.
Reacting to the farmer package, Congress leader Sanjay Jha tweeted, "After brutalising the farmers for 5 years, a cosmetic support of just Rs 75,000 crores allocation for farmers. This is peanuts. The Congress party will cover farmers and all poor people at a much higher level."
It was expected that, under pressure from a resurgent Congress which is going all out to lure voters with the promise of debt waiver for farmers and a minimum income for the poor if voted to power, Goyal may announce some form of a direct transfer of cash to farmers and sops for the poor.
