Union Budget 2020-21 proposes 16-point action plan to boost agriculture & farmer’s welfare

Union Budget 2020-21 proposes a 16-point action plan to
boost agriculture and farmer’s welfare. It also seeks to double farmer’s income
by 2022. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said this while presenting the
Union Budget in Lok Sabha today. She said the budget is aimed at boosting the
income of people and enhance their purchasing power.

Comprehensive measures for 100 water-stressed districts have
been proposed in the Budget. The agricultural credit target has, meanwhile,
been set at 15 lakh crore rupees.

Twenty lakh farmers will be provided funds for setting up
stand alone solar pumps and farmers will be allowed to set up solar units on
barren and fallow lands and supply power to grids.

 Youth and fishery
extension work will be enabled by rural youth as Sagar Mitras, forming 500 fish
farmer producing organizations.

Ms. Sitharaman said, Indian Railways will set up Kisan Rail through PPP arrangement for transportation of perishable goods. She added that Krishi UDAN will be launched by Civil Aviation Ministry on international and national routes.

The Finance Minister said it will improve value realization in North East and tribal districts. Financing on Negotiable Warehousing Receipts will be integrated with e- National Agricultural Market. NABARD Refinancing Scheme will be further expanded, and agri credit target for the year 2020-21 has been set at 15 lakh crore rupees.