Demonstrations were held on Wednesday at various places in Himachal Pradesh, on the National call of the Leftist organizations to protest the alleged, “anti-people, anti-labourer and anti-farmer budget’ presented in the parliament on February 1.
The leaders of CITU and Himachal Kisan Sabha state committees said, “On the national call, demonstrations were held throughout the state at block and district headquarters.”
A demonstration was held at the DC office in Shimla, where the protesters expressed their anger by burning copies of the Union Budget. Hundreds of workers participated in the demonstration.
Addressing the gathering on the occasion CITU state president Vijender Mehra said , “ The Union budget has been prepared to protect the interests of the rich people and workers, farmers , youth and students have been ignored, they have decided to mobilize different section of the society and hold a state level protest at Shimla in the month of March 25.”
The leaders alleged, “The Modi government at the Center has completely stood with the capitalists and is moving ahead on the path of snatching economic resources from the common people and handing it over to the rich. The profits of the capitalists have reached the highest level in the last fifteen years, while the wages of the workers have become even lower than the situation before the Covid period.”
The left parties demand the introduction of the following proposals, which should find a place in the Finance Bill:
1) Introduce a wealth tax of 4 percent on the 200 billionaires (in dollar terms) in the country; increase corporation tax.
2) Provide a legal guarantee for the minimum support price for agricultural produce and withdraw the draft National Policy Framework on Agricultural Marketing.
3) Halt privatization of public sector units and handing over of public assets to the private sector through the National Monetization Pipeline. Withdraw 100 percent FDI in the insurance sector.
4) Increase MGNREGA allocation by 50 percent; introduce the Urban Employment Guarantee Act; increase the Centre’s provision for old-age pensions and other social security benefits.
5) Increase outlays for health to 3 percent of GDP and education to 6 percent of GDP.
6) Increase food subsidies to strengthen the public distribution system.
7) Increase allocation for the SC, ST sector, and for women and child development substantially, including increased outlay for ICDS; increase the Central share of the honorarium for scheme workers.
8) Increase transfers of funds to the states and funds for centrally sponsored schemes substantially. Scrap the cesses and surcharges on petroleum products that are not included in the divisible pool for sharing with states.
