(Photo source: Sansad TV YouTube grab)
New Delhi, February 10 (IANS) Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Tuesday initiated the discussion on the Union Budget in the Lok Sabha after several days of repeated disruptions as the House reconvened following its second adjournment of the day, triggered by persistent sloganeering from Opposition members.
Participating in the debate on behalf of the Congress, Tharoor delivered a sharp critique of the Budget, describing it as a missed chance to address pressing economic concerns.
He remarked that the Union Budget was a "squandered opportunity like rearranging the airbags in a crashing car while assuring passengers that the chassis is intact".
Tharoor also raised concerns over government expenditure and revenue trends, stating that overall spending has declined while tax collections have not shown significant growth.
He further argued that the Budget reflects a shift in tax burden from corporates to individual taxpayers.
"Revenue estimates are projected at 3.1 per cent from corporates (taxpayers) while individuals will pay 3.7 per cent. So your revenue is coming disproportionately from the individual taxpayers," he said, adding: "It is an underwhelming Budget."
Turning his focus to the agriculture sector, Tharoor highlighted what he described as inadequate financial allocation despite the sector’s central role in the Indian economy.
"It's high time we stopped treating agriculture as some issue that will sort itself out, because 46.1 per cent of India's workforce and 60 per cent of our population depend on agriculture and allied activities. Despite agriculture contributing 16-17 per cent of GDP, it receives only 3 per cent of this Union Budget, Rs 1.62 lakh crore, which is a 5.1 per cent cut from last year's Rs 1.71 lakh crore," he said.
He warned that reduced funding is particularly concerning at a time when agriculture is facing mounting challenges.
"This underinvestment is all the more alarming, given the existential threats facing Indian agriculture today. This sector, vital as it is, is increasingly threatened by climate change and misaligned farming practices," he said.
Referring to climate vulnerability, Tharoor noted, "Nearly two-thirds of the country is prone to drought, and the toll of weather-related disasters has been severe. Yet the Fasal Bima Yojana, meant to protect farmers, has failed. Flawed assessments and opaque settlements have reduced compensation to token amounts -- Rs 1, 3, 21, as your Minister himself has acknowledged -- turning protection into systemic injustice."
He further alleged that reduced allocations could undermine the scheme’s effectiveness.
"Matters are worsened by cuts that leave the scheme at its lowest budget allocation in eight years, fuelling fears that new initiatives will repeat a familiar cycle of announcement without commitment, as seen last year when grandly announced missions on cotton technology, pulses, vegetables, fruits, and hybrid seeds, all quietly faded, with zero funding in the revised estimates. These announcements are like modern courtships -- promises without commitment. That is what this government does to us," he said.
Highlighting the issue of direct support to farmers, Tharoor said: "At a time when farm distress is deepening, the Budget's silence on revising the PM-Kisan Nidhi disbursement speaks louder than any promise made elsewhere."
He also criticised the reduction in funding for agricultural research and technology development.
"While there is an imperative need for breakthroughs in research and development and AI-driven agricultural technologies, paradoxically, funding allocations for agricultural research and education have dipped by 4.8 per cent from the previous year's Rs 10,466 crore -- that is down to Rs 9,967 crore -- decreasing precisely when the Finance Minister is announcing new AI schemes," he said.
Expressing scepticism over the practicality of technological initiatives, Tharoor said, "Frankly, doubting a new AI app, when the majority of our farmers cannot afford fertilisers, harvesters or tractors, seems rather detached from reality except for the virtual kind."
Drawing attention to crop-specific challenges, he said, "This Budget speaks at length about crops from cashews to coconuts, yet ignores one of agriculture's most persistent concerns -- pepper. Once hailed as black gold, the sector is now in distress in my state. In Kerala, which is one of the country's leading producers of pepper, output has fallen from 40,000-plus tonnes to 30,000 tonnes and is projected to decline by a further 28.7 per cent in the foreseeable future."
"The uncomfortable truth is that our spice market faces such deep challenges today that, if history repeats itself, the British might not even bother looting us for it."
Tharoor then shifted his focus to unemployment, stating that the issue continues to worsen despite repeated discussions in Parliament.
"Next to unemployment. This House has had this conversation far too many times," he said.
"We recite the same statistics, express the same concerns, and then move on, while unemployment quietly worsens. The data at the end of 2025 makes one thing unmistakably clear. Rural unemployment has stagnated at 3.9 per cent, while urban unemployment continues to rise, ending at 6.7 per cent in December," he said.
Highlighting the growing pressure in urban areas, Tharoor added: “The crisis is now starting to concentrate, where aspirations and frustrations are colliding in our cities. And yet even the Centre's flagship responses have failed to rise to the moment. Under the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana, barely 41 per cent of certified candidates secured placements.”
