Observing that the Budget can “transform” the agriculture sector and the villages, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Thursday asked officials to roll out the proposals from April 1, the first day of the new financial year, without wasting time. Addressing a webinar on the “positive impact” of Union Budget 2022 on the agriculture sector, Modi said, “We have one full month of March in hand. The Budget has already been presented in Parliament. We should complete all preparations in March and deliver the schemes to the farmers from April, which is well ahead of the new agriculture year which begins around June and July.” Modi also urged officials to rope in the corporate world, financial world, start-ups and technological world in this effort. He said the agriculture Budget has increased manifold in just six years. “Agricultural loans for farmers have also been increased by 2.5 times in seven years,” he said. “In the last seven years, we have prepared many new systems, from (distribution of) seeds to the markets, we have improved the old systems,” he added. Recounting that the PM-Kisan scheme was launched on this day three years ago, the Prime Minister said, “Today, this scheme has become a big support for the small farmers of the country.” Modi said that about Rs 1.75 lakh crore have been given to 11 crore farmers of the country. “Direct money transfer into the bank accounts of 10-12 crore farmers with just one click is a matter of pride for every Indian in itself,” he said. Modi also asked officials to reduce the country’s dependence on imports of agricultural goods. He said that India is an agricultural country and it should grow all agricultural commodities to meet its requirement.
