Farmers Movement Archive

‘Interests of middle class being ignored’

Tribune News Service Amritsar, May 5 People from the middle-income groups are irked with the government for ‘ignoring’ their interests during the curfew imposed to curb the spread of Covid-19. They rue that they have neither got monetary support or ration to tide over hardships brought in by the disease. Jaspreet Singh, an employee with a private firm, said both the state and the Central governments had been collecting heavy taxes from the people. “But when it comes to helping us in times of crisis, the governments turn their back,” he said. All relief is being extended only to those from economically-weaker sections, he said. Rishabh Seth, a shopkeeper, said people from middle-income groups were being denied benefits of programmes such as health insurance schemes and other social welfare plans. Recently, the Union Government hiked excise duty on petrol and diesel by Rs 3 per liter, despite the fact that fact global crude oil prices have fallen in the recent past. The state government, to shore up its revenue, had introduced professional tax of Rs 2,400 on persons earning above Rs 2.5 lakh. Swaroop Singh, a farmer, said: “The country’s political system is responsible for our fate. The governments focus only on the poor as they are their vote banks.”

The Tribune

2020-05-06