Sat Feb 01 21:21:04 IST 2025: ## Telangana Official Criticizes Union Budget’s Agriculture Allocation

**Hyderabad, February 1, 2025** – M. Kodanda Reddy, Chairman of the Telangana Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Commission, has sharply criticized the Union Budget 2025, claiming it inadequately addresses the needs of the agricultural sector. He alleges the government plans to privatize the sector, handing it over to large corporations.

Mr. Reddy highlighted that the agriculture sector, including fisheries, received only ₹1,71,437 crore (approximately $20.7 billion USD, assuming a conversion rate of 82.7 INR to 1 USD), representing a mere 2.51% of the total budget of ₹50,65,345 crore (approximately $612 billion USD). He further stated that the actual allocation for agriculture is even lower at ₹1,27,290 crore (approximately $154 billion USD), a paltry ₹5,000 crore (approximately $60 million USD) increase from the previous budget.

The official expressed disappointment over the lack of new initiatives for rural areas, citing the rejection of a ₹77 crore (approximately $93 million USD) proposal from the National Institute of Rural Development (NIRD) in Telangana. He also criticized the insufficient allocation of ₹616 crore (approximately $7.45 million USD) for organic farming, a mere ₹100 crore (approximately $1.2 million USD) increase from the previous year.

Mr. Reddy further condemned the absence of measures to address the agricultural labor shortage and the meager ₹1,000 crore (approximately $12 million USD) allocated to a program aimed at boosting pulse cultivation in 100 backward districts. He also reiterated the unmet demand for the legalization of Minimum Support Price (MSP), a key demand of the 2020 farmers’ agitation in Haryana and Delhi.

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