India News | Union Budget to Affect Food Providers, Help Billionaires: J'Khand CM Hemant Soren

Ranchi, Jul 23 (PTI) Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Tuesday said that the Union budget would help the Centre's "billionaire friends" at the cost of agriculture, and "loot" the budget of farmers.

This, he said, has happened when 60 per cent of the population of the country depend on agriculture for sustenance.

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"The budget reflects that discounts are given to billionaire friends while the budget of the country's food providers is looted," read an X post of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), which was endorsed by Soren.

Soren also shared data to claim that the allocation of agriculture and allied budget has been declining every year since 2019 and was reduced to 3.15 per cent in 2024-25 from 5.44 per cent in 2019-20.

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Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced a Rs 1.52 lakh crore allocation for agriculture and allied sectors in 2024-25, outlining a comprehensive plan to boost research, promote sustainable farming, enhance oilseed and pulse production and integrate technology in the agricultural landscape.

The JMM's post took a swipe at Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, alleging that he is concerned only with elections.

Chouhan, who is also BJP's election in-charge for Jharkhand, has been attacking the JMM-led dispensation in the state alleging that every section of Jharkhand was suffering under it.

Soren also reposted another X post from JMM that claimed, "The dictator does not want your children to study and grow. They want our children to fry dumplings. Degrees are useless for them. Whatsapp university is bigger than a degree for them."

Soren, after distributing appointment letters among 183 candidates at the state secretariat at a programme, refused to comment on the Union budget.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)