The 2018-2019 Union Budget Is Good For Creating 116651 Cabinet Ministers But Nothing Else

 

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The average, declared, moveable and immovable assets of the 70 Union Cabinet members is around Rs 16 crores. The Union Budget 2018-2019 is Rs 1866418 crores after subtracting the 23% that will go on interest payments on borrowings (at interest rates and repayment terms set by the Government itself).  Assuming this average per cabinet minister extends to all politicians and their friends and relations in the country, the budget will be enough to create 116651 crorepatis the size of the average Cabinet Minister.

I am not necessarily saying the entire Union Budget 2018-2019 will be gobbled up by politicians and their friends and relations. But I think a large portion of it will.  The Union Budget gives every Indian Rs 14357 in the coming financial year. That is Rs 39 and 33 paisa per citizen per day. If say half the net Union Budget of Rs 1866418 crores goes to make 1 million crorepatis, that leaves just Rs 6500 per Indian citizen in this financial year being spent by the State, or just under Rs 18 per day.

Whether the citizen gets all or half or none of his due, obviously any which way the Budget amount per citizen is not enticing. Any sane person understands that to deal with the huge calamities being imposed on Indian citizens by development, a person needs at least Rs 5 lakhs equity this year to deal with the damages caused by the corporates, the upper castes and the market, including transport money and living expenses to look for a job, house building and repairs, buying some land, and clothes, and digging some water channels and planting crops, more job hunting, and so on. On the other hand the upper castes need a whole lot more. That is why I think this Budget is a farce. Not enough money is being created by the State to fund the social and ecological needs of the citizens, nor are conduits being created to send such money to each citizen, but on the other hand a budget is readied to be appropriated by a few dangerous upper caste BJP fanatics and their Sangh Parivar in an attempt to realise their glorious Hindu Rashtra.

And even assuming for a moment these politicians are honest and get all their personal wealth from the private sector in addition to their salaries of around Rs 1 lakh or so: are we really seriously saying that Rs 39 and 33 paisa per day per citizen is an adequate Union budget for a politician to deliver the amenities to citizens that are considered the minimum according to the Directive Principles of State Policy laid down in part IV of The Constitution? After all there are no measures for redistribution of private wealth in this Year’s budget.

Take Principle 38. (2) Has the State striven to minimise the inequalities in income, and endeavoured to eliminate inequalities in status, facilities and opportunities, not only amongst individuals but also amongst groups of people residing in different areas or engaged in different vocations?  No. As Livemint reported, according to Oxfam, last year the richest 1% in India cornered 73% of the private wealth created by banks through loans in the country. There is nothing in the budget to address this.

(http://www.livemint.com/Politics/RyU4Iw2NxwolMOp5SIfmVK/Oxfam-survey-points-Indias-rising-income-inequality-ahead-o.html) For example, is not teacher training a measure to reduce inequality in opportunities? Around 500 crore is provided for teacher education in the budget. Assuming 50 crore Indian citizens need training and one teacher is needed for every ten citizens that is 5 crore teachers sharing a Rs 500 crore budget. …Rs 100 per teacher for their training this year….

Clearly this budget is not meant for Indians. It meant for a few Sanghis who want to appropriate the State for their purposes.

We can say with absolute certainty that the Indian State has not only collapsed, its maintenance in this collapsed shape and form is positively counterproductive to the future of the people of India. The Union Budget 2017-2018 will do nothing for the citizens. On the other hand it is very likely to do something for one million or so BJP politicians and their friends and families in the upper castes Sangh Parivar, – who may not be smart enough to get a chunk of the private money being created in India these days, which after all carries 10% or more interest and has to be repaid, thanks to the BJP’s insane national monetary policy, but just smart enough to get hold of the money in the State’s coffers. In any case, it is such a measly amount, that that is all it is good for anyway.  As for getting back the major part of India’s GDP created as loans stolen by Narendra Modi’s super rich corporate friends from the public sector banks and now round-tripping around the globe , – buddies who number around 50 individuals or so and who own more than the wealth of the 70% poorest Indians, …-  not a peeps on that score in the Budget or in the mainstream news.

Anandi Sharan was born in Switzerland, lives in Bangalore and last year worked in Araria District Bihar, India. She works on trying to find the best money system to help people adapt to climate change especially in India.

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