Bengaluru, 1 Feb

Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Sunday criticised the Centre’s proposal to use Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the agricultural sector, saying such measures were unlikely to benefit farmers.

Shivakumar’s remarks came after Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, in her Budget speech, announced the launch of Bharat-VISTAAR, a multilingual AI-based platform seeking to integrate AgriStack portals and the ICAR package on agricultural practices with AI systems.

The Centre’s initiative aims to boost farm productivity, support better decision-making by farmers and reduce risks through customised advisory services. Shivakumar claimed that the AI does not help agriculture. 

“They (the Centre) are talking about using AI even in MGNREGA to decide wages. But they did not pay wages during the agricultural season. AI does not benefit agriculture. What farmers need is real support,” he said.

Shivakumar questioned the Centre’s alleged failure to increase the sugar price.  He stressed that farmers should instead be encouraged to take up silk production.

“Farmers are suffering huge losses. If the sugar price is not increased then the cooperative sector will be on the verge of closure. Sugarcane is grown in five districts of the state. Even after eight to nine years, the sugar price has not been increased,” he charged.

On the proposed high-speed train for Bengaluru, Shivakumar expressed doubts over its feasibility.

“No high-speed train will come. The 50:50 funding model will not work. We are ready for a 90:10 model, with the Centre contributing 90 per cent and the state 10 per cent. They have done this for other states. They should do the same for Karnataka,” he asserted.

Shivakumar said there were high expectations from the Union Budget for Bengaluru after Prime Minister Modi termed it a “global city”. "There is no benefit for our state from the central budget,” he said. 

Anti-farmer, injustice to K’taka: Farmers criticise budget

Various farmers criticised the Union Budget, terming it “anti-farmer”. They said that apart from the Centre pushing for various high-value crops, there was no major announcement for farmers.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitaraman announced proposals to boost coconut, cashew, sandalwood, agarwood, and walnuts. The State is one of the nation’s largest producers of coconut and sandalwood and has significant cashew production as well.

However, Kurubur Shanthakumar, Karnataka State Sugarcane Growers Association president and Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) South India convener, noted that SKM and various farmer organisations had held massive protests demanding a legal guarantee for Minimum Support Price (MSP).

“But there is no mention in the Budget,” he told Salar News. Similarly, there was no mention of insurance cover for crop losses, he added.

He noted that there was no mentioned of better price for sugarcane despite massive protests. 

The Centre has “meted injustice to Karnataka,” Badagalapura Nagendra, Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha and Hasiru Sene State Unit President told Salar News.

He noted that despite southern states paying among the high tax, there was no major announcement for Southern India.

However, the Centre “allocated sufficient grants and schemes to its NDA partner states,” he added.

The budget had allocated Rs 1,62,671 crore for agriculture and allied activities.

However, Nagendra noted that there was no major announcement for the improvement of rural infrastructure.

However, farmers also noticed some positives from the budget.

“Sops to fishery sector is a step in the right direction,” Nalini Gowda, President of Kolar district Farmer Sangha Women Wing told Salar News. The Centre exempted tax from fisheries in the High Seas and  Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). She said that this will help the sea food market and help young people in the coastal areas.

BJP says budget is pro-farmer; MSME boost to help City

BJP Leader R Ashoka hailed the Union Budget, saying that agriculture received a special emphasis “through targeted interventions aimed at enhancing farmers’ income and rural prosperity”.

He added on X on Sunday that the Mahatma Gandhi Gram Swaraj Scheme to promote khadi and handloom products and the special packages for coconut, sandalwood and cashew cultivation, and the ambitious goal of positioning cashew and cocoa as global export products by 2030 reflects a long-term vision for sustainable agricultural growth.

Union Minister of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) Pralhad Joshi also hailed the Basic Customs Duty (BCD) exemption on capital goods used in the manufacturing of lithium-ion cells for batteries and the exemption of BCD on sodium antimonate used in the manufacture of solar glass, saying it will further strengthen the domestic solar manufacturing ecosystem.

No tax relief for middle class: Trade activist

The Union Budget for 2026-27 does not provide tax relief to the middle class that people had hoped for given the rising inflation through the last year, said trade activist Sajjan Raj Mehta.

“Generally, the third budget of a government is expected to bring about some major, unexpected, and bold reforms,” he said on Sunday. “But the Budget does not meet that expectation… The public deserved the relief.”

He noted that there were some positive initiatives in the budget, namely in the employment and export-oriented sectors.

“Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has proposed a five-pillar integrated program for the employment-intensive textile sector, keeping in mind the possibilities of a European Free Trade Agreement. The aim is to accelerate self-reliance, modernisation, and job creation,” he said.

He said that the schemes were a positive sign for handloom, Khadi, MSMEs, and rural-based textile units.

He said that the announcement of seven high-speed rail corridors was welcome in the infrastructure, but the neglect of extremely important business corridors like Mumbai-Bengaluru was disappointing.

“Overall, this budget is focused on structural reforms and long-term vision, but expectations for immediate relief for the common taxpayer and the business community remain unfulfilled,” he concluded.