National Desk: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday announced six new schemes to boost the agriculture sector and increased the loan limit from subsidized Kisan Credit Card (KCC) from Rs 3 lakh to Rs 5 lakh. . The Finance Minister said that his aim is to promote everything from employment across the country to increasing crop productivity. Presenting his eighth budget in Parliament, Sitharaman described agriculture as the 'first engine of development' and proposed the Pradhan Mantri Dhan-Dhanya Krishi Yojana. This is a flagship program of the government, which targets 100 farms with low productivity, under-harvested areas (where two or three fields are harvested less or only one crop) and borrowers below the average loan criteria. - Districts are to be targeted. The scheme, to be implemented in partnership with state governments, is expected to benefit 1.7 crore farmers through increased agricultural productivity, crop diversification and improved post-harvest infrastructure.
Rural Prosperity and Strengthening Programme
The government will implement a comprehensive 'Rural Prosperity and Strengthening' program to eliminate rural unemployment. Sitharaman said, "Their goal is to create enough opportunities in rural areas so that migration is an option, but not a necessity." The program specifically targets rural women, young farmers, rural youth, marginal and small farmers and the landless. will focus on families. As a major step towards self-sufficiency in the production of pulses, the six-year mission will focus on promoting the production of arhar, urad and lentil. Under this initiative, cooperatives will purchase pulses for four years from registered farmers who have entered into agreements with these agencies, NEFED and NCCF.
Establishment of Makhana Board
A dedicated Makhana Board will be established to improve the production, processing and marketing of the Makhana sector in Bihar. The board will organize farmers into FPOs and provide training assistance while ensuring access to the benefits of government schemes.
More loans from KCC
The finance minister announced a significant increase in KCC benefits, proposing to increase the subsidized short-term loan limit from three lakh rupees to five lakh rupees for 7.7 crore farmers, fishermen and dairy farmers.
New Research Ecosystem
A new research ecosystem mission will focus on developing and disseminating high-yielding, pest-resistant and adverse climate-tolerant seeds, with commercial release of more than 100 seed varieties starting from July, 2024. plan to do
Five Year Cotton Mission
In addition, a five-year cotton mission will work on improving productivity and promoting 'extra-long staple' cotton varieties, which will support India's integrated 5-F approach to the textile sector. Recognizing India's position as the second largest global producer of fish and aquaculture, with seafood exports worth Rs 60,000 crore, the government will introduce a framework for sustainable fishing in the Indian Exclusive Economic Zone and deep seas and for Special focus will be on Andaman and Nicobar and Lakshadweep Islands.
Urea plant to be set up in Assam
Other announcements include plans for a new urea plant to be named in Assam, with an annual capacity of 12.7 lakh tonnes. Apart from this, it has been announced to increase the support of the National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC) for credit management of the cooperative sector. In the horticulture sector, keeping in mind the increasing consumption patterns driven by rising incomes, a comprehensive program was implemented to ensure production, efficient supply chain, processing and remunerative prices for farmers growing vegetables, fruits and grains. will go This initiative will be implemented in partnership with the states, involving farmer-producer organizations and cooperative societies through appropriate institutional mechanisms. Commenting on the budget, Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan said that it is a visionary budget, in which every section of the society as well as every sector has been taken care of. Agriculture and farmers' welfare have been given top priority in the budget. In a post on social media, Chauhan said, "It has the fragrance of faith, the yearning for development and the anxiety of building a developed India." He said that the purpose of the budget is to build a self-reliant India.
