Mon Feb 10 12:17:20 UTC 2025: ## Trade Unions Condemn Union Budget as “Anti-Public” in Tirunelveli Protest
**TIRUNELVELI, February 10, 2025** – Trade unions in Tirunelveli staged a protest today, condemning the recently announced Union Budget as “anti-public, anti-labour, and anti-farmer.” Demonstrators tore up copies of the budget document to express their outrage.
The protest, led by CITU district secretary R. Murugan, criticized the government’s “pro-corporate” policies. Murugan highlighted concerns over the privatization of public sector undertakings, the allowance of 100% foreign direct investment in the insurance sector, and the lack of provisions for reviving the old pension scheme, increasing minimum wages, raising Employees’ Provident Fund contributions, or raising minimum support prices for agricultural produce. He further criticized planned cuts to fertilizer subsidies, arguing that the budget will exacerbate the financial burden on the public.
The demonstration saw participation from various trade unions, including CITU, AITUC, HMS, AICCTU, and LPF. The unions’ collective condemnation underscores significant opposition to the government’s economic policies.
First Piper 