RSS farmers group demands removal of GST on agriculture equipment and inputs

Bharatiya Kisan Sangh calls for GST removal on agricultural equipment, higher PM Kisan Samman Nidhi payout in Budget 2025.

The Bharatiya Kisan Sangh (BKS) has demanded that the Union government completely remove the Goods and Services Tax (GST) on agricultural equipment and inputs, it said in a statement on Saturday (December 7, 2024). Other items on the RSS-affiliated farmers group’s Budget 2025 wishlist include a hike in the payout under the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi, and a higher allocation for agricultural research and rural development.

The BKS said that it was invited to a pre-Budget interaction with the Finance Ministry, to discuss what steps the Union government must take towards the development of the country’s agriculture sector and the upliftment of the farmers. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman was also part of the meeting, in which the BKS was represented by its national president Badri Narayan Chaudhary.

Noting that there has been a continuous increase in the cost of agricultural inputs and wages since 2018-19, Mr. Chaudhary asked why there had not been any comparative hike in the financial aid provided under the PM Samman Nidhi scheme.

“If the money is not adjusted with inflation, then the purpose for which the scheme was made will become meaningless,” he added.

“We demanded to reduce the GST on agricultural equipment and inputs to zero. Along with this, we also maintained that big institution like ICAR should not make an excuse to make an agreement with foreign business organizations for research, rather the Government of India should allocate sufficient budget amount to them for agricultural research, development and expansion,” the BKS said in a statement.

The farmer’s body also demanded that, along with the incentive amount for farmers doing natural farming, the subsidy given to the fertilizer companies be given directly to the farmer’s account through DBT scheme in order to enable the farmer to prepare his own fertilizer.

To increase natural farming, the plan for development and promotion of livestock should be implemented. Organic e-mandis should be established for the sale and value addition of natural products and provision of necessary budget should be made for them, the organisation said.