'Budget In Recent Years Has Been Called A Budget For Gaon, Gareeb, And Kisan': PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that Agricultural Budget which was less than Rs 25,000 crores in 2014 has been increased to more than Rs 1,25,000 crores today

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that Agricultural Budget which was less than Rs 25,000 crores in 2014 has been increased to more than Rs 1,25,000 crores today. He said, “Every Budget in recent years has been called a budget for Gaon, Gareeb and Kisan.”

Addressed the post-budget webinar on ‘Agriculture and Cooperatives’, Prime Minister said, "Like previous 8-9 years, this years' Union Budget has also given lot of importance to agriculture."

Prime Minister said the government is working to make domestic and international markets accessible to the farmers. He stated that India’s goal should not be limited to rice or wheat when it comes to self-sufficiency or export. 

PM Modi said that expenditure of Rs 17,000 crore in 2021-22 for the import of pulses, Rs 25,000 crore for the import of Value Added Food Products, and Rs 1.5 lakh crore spent on the import of edible oils in 2021-22. He said that the sum of all agricultural imports was about Rs 2 lakh crores. Narendra Modi said that decisions are being continuously taken in the Budget to promote the agricultural sector so that the nation becomes ‘atmanirbhar’ and the money used for imports can reach our farmers. 

Narendra Modi talked about the introduction of accelerator funds for agri-tech startups. He said, "Number of agri-startups has increased from negligible in 2014 to over 3,000 now...This year's Budget focuses on agri-tech, creating funding avenues for entrepreneurs in agriculture sector."

Prime Minister also touched upon the International Year of Millets and said that its international identity is opening a gateway to the global market for Indian farmers. “The country has now identified coarse grains as Shri Anna in this budget”, the Prime Minister said. 

“A new revolution is taking place in the cooperative sector of India”, the Prime Minister said, pointing out that it is not limited to some states and some regions of the country anymore. 

He also said that that tax-related reliefs have been given to the cooperative sector in this year’s budget which will benefit new cooperative societies engaged in manufacturing.