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RSS affiliates hail budget, welcome agriculture plan
It also welcomed raising of turnover threshold for audit from Rs 1 crore to Rs 5 crore.
The affiliates of ruling BJP’s ideological fountainhead, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), have welcomed the Union budget, which includes a 16-point plan to revive agriculture and allied sectors, and sops for the medium, small and micro enterprises (MSME) sector.
“The focus on infrastructure like manufacturing of solar panels will benefit MSMEs and help in job creation,” said Jitendra Gupta, regional member of Laghu Udyog Bharati (LUB), an RSS-linked national confederation of MSME units.
It also welcomed raising of turnover threshold for audit from Rs 1 crore to Rs 5 crore. The limit will apply only to businesses that carry out less than 5% of their transactions in cash.
“Measures to strengthen checks on imports due to free trade agreements (FTAs), focus on rules of origin and imposing safeguard duties, proposal to invoke import duties on non essential products are good. We are not against FTAs, but they have to be on India’s terms,” said Swadeshi Jagran Manch (SJM)’s national co-convenor, Ashwani Mahajan.
On the proposed disinvestment of Life Insurance Corporation (LIC), Mahajan said the SJM opposes strategic disinvestment, but is not against the sale of shares to the general public. The Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS) criticised the move, saying it will cease to serve the society once private profit mongers are brought in.
The Bharatiya Kisan Sangh (BKS), a representative body of farmers, said the overall allocation of Rs 4.06 lakh crore for the agriculture and rural sectors should have been more.
The affiliates were also pleased with earmarking of funds for cultural projects.
