Union Budget 2020: The government has announced that it will launch special railway and flight routes for easy transportation of perishable farm produce such as milk under Krishi Udaan and Kisan Rails schemes. Under the Aspirational India theme of this year’s Budget, the Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that the government will invest in building a cold storage channel for perishable items in PPP mode. The project will fall under the purview of both the railway and ministry of civil aviation and will be effective on both international and national routes, she said. The government has also allocated Rs 2.83 lakh crore for agriculture, irrigation and allied sectors for 2021.
Also Read: Instead of hanging jumlas like carrots, BJP must actually work for farmers
Farmer distress has been one of the most pertinent issues of late and it was highly anticipated that in the first Budget of the decade, the Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will announce major schemes for alleviating farmer woes. FM Sitharaman, while reiterating the government’s goal of doubling farmers’ income by 2022, said that the farm markets need to be liberalised and purchase of farm produce need copious investment. She also announced 16 action points especially for the betterment of the agriculture sector of the country. The government is also encouraging states to implement the already announced model agriculture laws.
Previously, Ashok Dhawale, National President, All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS), had told Financial Express Online that the farmer suicide rates are increasing in the country and there is an urgent need for the government to actually work for farmers instead of “dangling jumlas like carrots,” he said. He also advocated for the need of keeping the economically exploited and socially oppressed citizens at the centre of policy-making rather than at the fringes.
The recent Budget comes at a time when the economy is struggling to maintain growth momentum. With a slowdown that has been causing woes to sectors ranging from agriculture, FMCG to auto, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman faces an enormous challenge of bringing the economy back to the right track.
