No mention of population Census in Union Budget, government likely to avoid Socio-Economic Caste Census: Jairam Ramesh

New Delhi [India], July 23 (ANI): Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Tuesday said that Modi government has failed to conduct Census and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman's budget speech on Tuesday did not mention funds for decadal Population Census which was supposed to take place in 2021.
In a post on X, Jairam Ramesh said the government will "continue to avoid" Socio-Economic Caste Census.
"It is highly disappointing that the Finance Minister's announcement on Data and Statistics makes no mention of releasing funds for the decadal Population Census that was supposed to have taken place in 2021, but has still not been conducted," Jairam Ramesh said.
"This is the first time since Independence that the Government has failed to conduct a Census on time. The consequences on the State's administrative capabilities are serious - one example being the 10-12 crore individuals who have been excluded from the ambit of the National Food Security Act. It also means that the Government will likely continue to avoid a Socio-Economic Caste Census, despite calls from its own NDA partners for the same," he added.
"It also means that the Government will likely continue to avoid a Socio-Economic Caste Census, despite calls from its own NDA partners for the same," Jairam Ramesh said.
Former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi, who Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, said it is "Kursi Bachao" budget.
"Appease Allies: Hollow promises to them at the cost of other states. Appease Cronies: Benefits to AA with no relief for the common Indian. Copy and Paste: Congress manifesto and previous budgets," Rahul Gandhi said in a post on X.
Jairam Ramesh also claimed that the government's thrust on employment generation in the budget is "too late, too little".
He said the budget speech is more focused on posturing than action.
"After ten years of denial - where neither the non-biological PM nor his party's Lok Sabha Elections Manifesto would even mention jobs - the Union Government seems to have finally come around to tacitly admitting that mass unemployment is a national crisis that requires urgent attention. It's far too late, and as it turns out, far too little - the Budget speech is more focused on posturing than action," the Congress leader said.
"The term 'employment' has made a roaring comeback in the 2024 Budget speech. This is the impact of the Congress's sustained campaign in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections!" he added.
Jairam Ramesh alleged that India's farmers have recieved a raw deal in the Union Budget.
"The Agriculture and Allied Budget - which affects a majority of the country's population - is only 3.15 per cent of the total Budget, down from 5.44 per cent in 2019-2020. This is after a year of bad monsoons dragged down agricultural growth from 4.7 per cent in 2022-23 to 1.4 per cent in 2023-24, necessitating greater government support for the sector," he said.
The Congress leader said that in her speech, the Finance Minister "boasted of the increase in MSP" for crops earlier this year - but the prices are still significantly below what the Swaminathan Commission Formula recommended.
"The demand for legal status for MSP has been met with stony silence - as has the demand for a farm loan waiver," he said. (ANI)