Budget allocates Rs 2.03 lakh crore for world’s largest free food grain scheme

With focus on feeding the nation, the Union Budget has allocated Rs 2.03 lakh crore to Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Ann Yojana.

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Under the scheme, food grains are procured for distribution under the National Food Safety Act (NFSA) and for maintaining the buffer stock.

The Budget proposals focused on ‘garib’, youth, ‘annadata’ and ‘nari’, focusing on feeding the nation and rural prosperity, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said.

The budgeted allocation will be utilised to procure paddy (775 LMT), wheat (265 LMT) and coarse grains (8.74 LMT) which will benefit over 1.35 crore farmers who will be Minimum Support Price (MSP) running into more than 2 lakh crore.

The Finance Minister also announced a six-year mission to augment production of pulses including tur, urad and masoor.

She also emphasised on climate-resilient seeds, protein content, productivity, post-harvest storage and remunerative prices to farmers.

Motivated by the success of the Aspirational Districts Programme, the FM announced that the government will undertake a ‘Prime Minister Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana’ in partnership with states and will cover 100 districts with low productivity, moderate crop intensity and below-average credit parameters.

The programme aims to enhance agricultural productivity, adopt crop diversification and sustainable agriculture practices, augment post-harvest storage at the panchayat and block level, improve irrigation facilities, and facilitate availability of long-term and short-term credit. This programme is likely to help 1.7 crore farmers