NAPM Demands a Socially Responsive and Participatory Budget
Growth With Justice and Equity
Time for an Aamiri Rekha and not aGaribi Rekha
New Delhi, January 17 : Finance Minister today held pre-Budget consultations with the representatives of the civil society. NAPM National Conveners Medha Patkar, Sandeep Pandey and
National Organiser Madhuresh Kumar made the presentation to the consultation and were also joined by Swami Agnivesh, Bandhu Mukti Morcha. Alliance of Sustainable and Holistic Agriculture members also joined at the press conference and NAPM being a part of the Alliance made the submissions to the FM on behalf of ASHA as well.
Later they convened a press conference at Indian Womens Press Corps, where Prof. Arun Kumar, JNU and Shri Roshanlal Agarwal, thinker from Raipur, Chattisgarh too joined.
We are attaching the submission made to the Honourable Minister for your consideration. NAPM requested the Minister that apart from various suggestions on the budget allocations there is a need to address and look at the way Budget itself is formulated and make it more participatory by holding regional consultations with different stake holders and also make it more socially responsive. The Budget is related to the way planning is done in the country and so there is the need establish the bottom up planning as mandated by 73rdand 74thamendments.
We do hope that the new Budget will take in account our suggestions because the failing social indicators will have a bearing on the economic policies too. The writing is clear that the ‘economic reforms’ are not working for everyone and a tiny elite is largely benefiting from this. Social movements are watching the political situation and is going to monitor this Budget and not just react but respond to it through especially planned Jan sansad from March 19 – 23 during the Budget Session. A serious policy course correction is the need of the hour and we hope Finance Minister will not let the country down.
Medha Patkar, Sandeep Pandey, Swami Agnivesh, Prof. Arun Kumar, Roshan Lal Agarwal, Prafulla Samantara, Maj. Gen. (Retd) Sudhir Vombatkere, Anand Mazgaonkar, Suniti S R, Geetha Ramakrishnan, Dr. Sunilam, Gautam Bandopahyay, Rajendra Ravi, Bhupendera Singh Rawat, Madhuresh Kumar
&
Alliance for Sustainable and Holistic Agriculture (ASHA)