-Press statement by Jan Swasthya Abhiyan dated February 2, 2022 Union Health Budget 2022-23 falls flat, fails to allocate funds for COVID care! Health Budget stagnant despite COVID crisis, National Health Mission neglected! Jan Swasthya Abhiyan (JSA) condemns the inadequacies in Union Health Budget in the strongest possible terms and appeals to the Parliament to reject cuts, and unitedly call for increased allocations for health! Oppose cuts in overall allocations for Health, instead...

-The Telegraph The Union Budget is an embodiment of unequal fiscal policy The finance minister and her ministry have betrayed, once again, their lack of understanding of the Indian economy or the conditions under which most Indians are living today. Despite attempts to ‘talk up’ the supposed recovery, the economy is weak and most people are hurting. India has seen one of the biggest increases in the number of poor and hungry people...

-Livemint.com Rural economy has to deal with declining incomes and rising cost of essentials The general consensus on the state of the Indian economy can be summarized as follows: The economy has been in a deep crisis even before the pandemic-led disruptions. Second, the crisis is not a result of supply constraints but is a result of demand deficiency, particularly in the rural economy. Recent evidence suggests that the impact of the slowdown...

-TheWire.in Presenting a Budget, especially in the midst of an economic crisis, is an opportunity to communicate a government's vision for the country. This Budget fails to do that and seems to be completely disconnected from ground realities. It seems as if the Union finance minister, this year, took the idea of a paperless Budget so literally that she has attempted to find digital solutions to most of the country’s problems. The ‘Amrit...

-Centre for Science and Environment * Releases new report that presents irrefutable evidence of the benefits of non-chemical agriculture * Yesterday’s Budget promises to promote chemical-free natural farming, but it is a half-hearted promise at best, as no separate allocation has been made in it, says CSE * CSE’s asks: Invest in organic and natural farming. Make it a mass movement New Delhi, February 2, 2022: “Despite the push given to it through periodic...