Sticking to his agenda, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called on stakeholders with an issue on their hands that needed fixing—execution. On Saturday, the prime minister asked for prompt exercise of budgetary provisions involving execution towards agriculture and rural development associated with it.
While speaking on the ‘Agricultural and Rural Prosperity’ post-budget webinar, Modi underlined that these budgets represent yet another culmination of the government’s widened vision towards “Viksit Bharat” and his third tenure representing policy continuity. He emphasized the necessity of implementing this year’s budget so that progress can be made, as well as asked the stakeholders to proactively look for all possible hindrances barring effective execution.
He was quoted saying that the broad consultations forming the basis of budget currently under meticulous implementation will help achieve great outcomes. Furthermore, as the economy opens up, agriculture is the backbone, and the government is trying to facilitate the increase in agriculture and rural prosperity, he added.
Reinforcing the idea of “Viksit Bharat”, Modi Ji strongly mentioned the notion, that no farmer goes out of the picture and every effort goes into supporting the agricultural community must be made. Also, he stated the need to fully optimize that sector and with other stakeholders work on higher expectations.
To elaborate on the record-setting agricultural growth, he claimed that food grain production alone has expanded from 265 million tonnes a decade ago to more than 330 million tonnes today and that the production of food from gardens crossed 350 million tonnes. He also highlighted the PM Dhan Dhanya Krishi Yojana, which is an important initiative meant for 100 low crop yielding districts based on the aspirational district’s program.
The stakeholders were also advised by the Prime Minister Modi to look into the various nutritional foods and market them both nationally and globally as he collectively announced a Makhana Board in Bihar. He also gave credit to the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), mentioning that more than 2900 modern crop varieties have been developed in the last ten years, while stressing the fact that making these high-yield varieties available to farmers at reasonable prices needs to become a priority.
Modi noted also a central mission on high-yielding seeds introduced in the budget, calling for the participation from the private sector to aid in the seed supply chains so that the smallholder farmers can reap the benefits from new and improved crop varieties. For pulses, he noted some of the strides made towards self-sufficiency on chickpeas and moong dal while drawing attention towards reinforcing production of tur, urad, and masoor in an effort to reduce import reliance.
The direct cash transfers of ₹6,000 to eleven crore farmers every year, aiding the agriculture sector, was previously estimated to transfer approximately ₹3.75 lakh crore under the PM KISAN scheme, active from 2023. Additionally, a digital framework has been implemented to ensure the automated transfer of benefits without any third party involvement and breach of trust.
During his address on the fisheries industry, Prime Minister Modi claimed that the PM Matsya Sampada Yojana, commenced in 2019 with the idea to improve the industry’s value chain as well as its infrastructure, has excelled. He claimed that due to these investments, fish production and export levels have doubled. Now, the Indian government is developing a strategy for the efficient exploitation of fisheries in the Indian EEZ and the High Seas while ensuring business friendly policies and safeguarding conventional fishers.
Once again, the Prime Minister proved the government’s dedication to uplift the rural economy through the PM Awas Yojana-Gramin, which helped the underclass attain shelter among millions, the Swamitva Yojana, which offered homeowners’ documentation, and self-help groups receiving specialized aid packages. On the other hand, mid-scale farmers and microbusinesses as well as the Pradhan Mantri Gram Satak Yojana, also had their gains.
Prime Minister Modi underscored the aim of creating three crore lakhpati didis which is now achieved by over 1.25 crore women who have already attained financial self-sufficiency. He claimed that the budgetary emphasis on rural development and prosperity has provided employment opportunities as well as investment in skill and modern technology, which continues to open more doors for development.