Swadeshi Jagran Manch criticised Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s move to open foreign direct investment in education even as it welcomed the Union Budget 2020-21.
S.J.M. says FDI in education will ‘transfer our domestic resources abroad’.
Barring the promotion of FDI in education, SJM’s co-convener Ashwani Mahajan appreciated the budget proposals.
He praised the government for reviewing free-trade agreements, saying they were not in interest of the country. He said the 16-point action plan proposed in the Budget to create income and employment in rural areas, particularly in fisheries, horticulture and other non-farm activities, is a “welcome move.”
“FDI in education is wrong. It is a bad idea and we oppose this proposal,” Mahajan told PTI.
“We should not allow foreigners to enter our education sector. This will lead to the westernization of education and will not be in the national interest.”
Presenting the Budget, Sitharaman said the government will encourage external commercial borrowings and FDI in education to finance infrastructure and to be able to deliver high-quality education.
Mahajan said this was considered to be the “most difficult budget” of this decade but was presented in a confident manner.
A broad vision was seen in the form of provisions for the corporate world, foreign investors, infrastructure, personal tax reforms, etc., and also the efforts to increase the income of the common man and support the rural economy, he said.
