Budget 2020: Nirmala Sitharaman announces 16-point plan for 'Kisan'

Introducing the Union Budget 2020, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday set forth ‘Kisan Rail’ as part of government’s 16 points plan to upgrade the farm sector.

"Indian Railways to set up a Kisan Rail for the transport of perishable goods like milk, meat and fish to built a seamless national cold-supply chain. The Civil Aviation Ministry to launch Krishi Udaan for agriculture exports on domestic and international routes," Sitharaman said today.

The Finance Minister also reiterated that Modi government’s dedication of enlarging the income of farmers by 2022. she stated that the farm markets need to be liberalised and that farming be made more vying.

"Farm markets need to be liberalized, farming need to be made more competitive, handholding of farm-based activities need to be provided, sustainable cropping patterns and more tech needed," Sitharaman said.

MODI GOVERNMENT'S 16 POINT ACTION PLAN FOR FARM SECTOR:

• Encourage states to take up model agricultural laws.
• Comprehensive measures for 100 water stressed districts.
• PM Kusum scheme removes dependence on kerosene and encourages use of solar power.
• Our govt will encourage balanced use of fertilisers. This is an important step because currently use of chemical fertilisers is incentivesed.
• NABARD will take up an exercise of mapping and geo tagging agricultural warehouses, cold storage and other inventory storages.
• A village storage scheme is proposed to be managed by SHEs. This will help farmers store more and reduce logistics costs. Women in the village will be responsible for managing this seamless storage mechanism.
• Krishi UDAAN scheme will be launched by Aviation Ministry.
• Horticulture sector with its current produce exceeds the production of food grains. We will now take it to, One Product One District.
• Financing of negotiable warehousing receipts will be integrating other e-services.
• Agricultural credit availability for 2021 has been set at 15 lakh crore.
• Our govt aims to eliminate the foot and mouth disease in sheep and goat by 2025.
• Doubling of milk production of 53.5 million metric tonne of milk to 103 metric million tonne by 2025.
• Our govt will involve youth in fishery sector. We hope the rural youth will work as Sagar Mitras and also form Fish Farmer Organisation.
• Under Antodyaya scheme, SHEs will bw further taken forward and made stronger.
• Rs 2.83 lakh crore to be allocated for agriculture.
• Rs 1.23 lakh crore to be allocated for rural development and panchayati raj.