Skip to main content

Sitharaman's Amritkal Budget 'ignores' social security for poor women and elderly

By Harasankar Adhikari 

According to the Finance Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman, the Budget 2023 is the first budget in ‘Amritkal’ of India. In her budget speech, she glorified it through her juggling vocabulary. She did not spend a single word for job possibility for educated youth (the most vibrant population of India), except skill training under the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana 4.0, poor deprived section (aging population and women).
Further, she fully ignores the price hikes of daily commodities, including gas. Is it a symbol of ‘Amritkal’? And is there a government for ‘Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas Sabka Biswas and Sabka Prayas’?
There is no budgetary allocation for women and the elderly population at the bottom of the pyramid for social protection and security. According to an Agewell Foundation report, more than 90 million Indian elderly people will be without financial security by 2021. 
At the same time, it underlines, "Of the total number of people living in extreme poverty in India in 2021, approximately 47 million were females. Females were more affected by extreme poverty in India as opposed to their male counterparts during the same time period."
Unfortunately, the Government of India does not consider it an issue worthy of attention. It thinks it is the prime obstacle to raising their success, so it always uses this to hide the practical scenario of India’s progress and development.
No doubt, the budget declares some modifications and new steps for strengthening social security through some savings schemes for the well-off segment of the country such as
  1. increasing the maximum deposit limit for the Senior Citizen Savings Scheme from Rs 15 lakh to Rs 30 lakh;
  2. doubling the Monthly Income Scheme limit to Rs 9 lakh and Rs 15 lakh for joint accounts; and
  3. introducing a one-time new savings scheme for women, the Mahila Samman Saving Certificate, with a fixed interest rate of 7.5 percent and a partial withdrawal option, for two years up to March 2025.
But is it not a strategy to deceive the people? Where is the guarantee of a refund? Actually, the government is cleverly trying to record the financial state of the people who are in many ways hiding their position. On the other hand, it is a system for making the wealthy even wealthier.
There is reason to ask: what would be the living conditions of the poor elderly and female population, who are constantly fighting for a meal? Are they not voters in this democracy, or have their votes no value in electing this government? Is it a government for all?

Comments

TRENDING

Loktantra Bachao Abhiyan raises concerns over Jharkhand Adivasis' plight in Assam, BJP policies

By Our Representative  The Loktantra Bachao Abhiyan (Save Democracy Campaign) has issued a pressing call to protect Adivasi rights in Jharkhand, highlighting serious concerns over the treatment of Jharkhandi Adivasis in Assam. During a press conference in Ranchi on November 9, representatives from Assam, Chhattisgarh, and Madhya Pradesh criticized the current approach of BJP-led governments in these states, arguing it has exacerbated Adivasi struggles for rights, land, and cultural preservation.

Promoting love or instilling hate and fear: Why is RSS seeking a meeting with Rahul Gandhi?

By Ram Puniyani*  India's anti-colonial struggle was marked by a diverse range of social movements, one of the most significant being Hindu-Muslim unity and the emergence of a unified Indian identity among people of all religions. The nationalist, anti-colonial movement championed this unity, best embodied by Mahatma Gandhi, who ultimately gave his life for this cause. Gandhi once wrote, “The union that we want is not a patched-up thing but a union of hearts... Swaraj (self-rule) for India must be an impossible dream without an indissoluble union between the Hindus and Muslims of India. It must not be a mere truce... It must be a partnership between equals, each respecting the religion of the other.”

A Marxist intellectual who dwelt into complex areas of the Indian socio-political landscape

By Harsh Thakor*  Professor Manoranjan Mohanty has been a dedicated advocate for human rights over five decades. His work as a scholar and activist has supported revolutionary democratic movements, navigating complex areas of the Indian socio-political landscape. His balanced, non-partisan approach to human rights and social justice has made his books essential resources for advocates of democracy.

Right-arm fast bowler who helped West Indies shape arguably greatest Test team in cricket history

By Harsh Thakor*  Malcolm Marshall redefined what it meant to be a right-arm fast bowler, challenging the traditional laws of biomechanics with his unique skill. As we remember his 25th death anniversary on November 4th, we reflect on the legacy he left behind after his untimely death from colon cancer. For a significant part of his career, Marshall was considered one of the fastest and most formidable bowlers in the world, helping to shape the West Indies into arguably the greatest Test team in cricket history.

A Hindu alternative to Valentine's Day? 'Shiv-Parvati was first love marriage in Universe'

By Rajiv Shah  The other day, I was searching on Google a quote on Maha Shivratri which I wanted to send to someone, a confirmed Shiv Bhakt, quite close to me -- with an underlying message to act positively instead of being negative. On top of the search, I chanced upon an article in, imagine!, a Nashik Corporation site which offered me something very unusual. 

Will Left victory in Sri Lanka deliver economic sovereignty plan, go beyond 'tired' IMF agenda?

By Atul Chandra, Vijay Prashad*  On September 22, 2024, the Sri Lankan election authority announced that Anura Kumara Dissanayake of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP)-led National People’s Power (NPP) alliance won the presidential election. Dissanayake, who has been the leader of the left-wing JVP since 2014, defeated 37 other candidates, including the incumbent president Ranil Wickremesinghe of the United National Party (UNP) and his closest challenger Sajith Premadasa of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya. 

Unlike other revolutionaries, Hindutva icon wrote 5 mercy petitions to British masters

By Shamsul Islam*  The Hindutva icon VD Savarkar of the RSS-BJP rulers of India submitted not one, two,or three but five mercy petitions to the British masters! Savarkarites argue: “There are no evidences to prove that Savarkar collaborated with the British for his release from jail. In fact, his appeal for release was a ruse. He was well aware of the political developments outside and wanted to be part of it. So he kept requesting for his release. But the British authorities did not trust him a bit” (YD Phadke, ‘A complex Hero’, "The Indian Expres"s, August 31, 2004)

Outreach programme in medical education: Band-aids for compound fractures

By Amitav Banerjee, MD*  Recently, the National Medical Commission (NMC) of India, introduced two curricular changes in medical education, both at the undergraduate and the postgraduate levels, ostensibly to offer opportunities for quality medical education and to improve health care accessibility among the underserved rural and urban population.

Will Bangladesh go Egypt way, where military ruler is in power for a decade?

By Vijay Prashad*  The day after former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina left Dhaka, I was on the phone with a friend who had spent some time on the streets that day. He told me about the atmosphere in Dhaka, how people with little previous political experience had joined in the large protests alongside the students—who seemed to be leading the agitation. I asked him about the political infrastructure of the students and about their political orientation. He said that the protests seemed well-organized and that the students had escalated their demands from an end to certain quotas for government jobs to an end to the government of Sheikh Hasina. Even hours before she left the country, it did not seem that this would be the outcome.