NEW DELHI: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, while presenting the Interim Budget 2024-25, said on Thursday that efforts of value addition in the agri sector and increasing farmers’ income will be stepped up, adding, 11.8 crore farmers – including marginal and small farmers – have been provided financial assistance under PM Kisan Yojana.
The Interim Budget 2024-25 allocated Rs 1,17,528.79 crore for the Ministry of Agriculture that makes for about 2% of the Union Budget — slightly lower than the revised estimate for the year at Rs 1,16,788 crore. The budget estimate for FY24 for the sector was Rs 1,25,036 crore.
She said that Pradhan Mantri Kisan Sampada Yojana has benefited 38 lakh farmers and generated 10 lakh jobs. Adding more, she said that PM Formalisation of Micro Food Processing Enterprises Yojana has assisted 2.4 lakh SHGs and 60,000 individuals with credit linkages. She added that the Minimum Support Prices for ‘Annadata’ (farmers) increased periodically. She said the poor, women, youth, and farmers’ needs are the government’s priority areas.
The FM said that crop insurance is given to 4 crore farmers under PM Fasal Bima Yojana and these are assisting farmers in producing food for the country and for the world. The allocation for the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmer’s Welfare stood at Rs 1.27 lakh crore.