Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman held a press conference in New Delhi today on the Rs 20 lakh crore economic package. This is her third press briefing in three days. She is expected to hold daily press conferences till Sunday.
Sitharaman has been announcing the tranches of the Rs 20 lakh crore package aimed at ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan’ or self-reliant Bharat announced earlier by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
While the first tranche of measures focussed on alleviating the distress in the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) sector, the second set was aimed at migrant workers, farmers, and street vendors.
Today’s announcements focused on agriculture and allied activities.
Highlights of today’s announcements are as follows:
A new legal framework would be created to enable farmers engage with processors, aggregators, large retailers, exporters in a fair and transparent manner
A central law will be formulated to provide adequate choices to the farmers to sell produce at an attractive price, barrier-free interstate trade and framework for e-trading of agricultural produce
A Rs 500 crore scheme for infrastructure development related to integrated beekeeping development centres, collection, marketing & storage centres, post-harvest and value addition facilities.
National Medicinal Plants Board will bring 800-hectare area by developing a corridor of medicinal plants along the banks of river Ganga. Rs 4000 crore allocated for promotion of herbal cultivation; 10,00,000 hectare will be covered in the next 2 years.
The government will also amend the stringent Essential Commodities Act to remove cereals, edible oil, oilseeds, pulses, onions and potato from its purview. With an aim to plug critical gaps in the fisheries value chain, a Rs 20,000 crore fund has been allocated through Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana.
Rs 11,000 cr for activities in Marine, Inland fisheries and Aquaculture and Rs 9,000 crore for the infrastructure of fishing harbours, cold chains and markets.
An Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development Fund of Rs 15,000 crore to support investment in dairy processing. National Animal Disease Control Programme for Foot and Mouth Disease and Brucellosis launched with a total outlay of Rs 13,343 crore
Govt to launch the Rs 20,000 crore Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana for development of marine and inland fisheries. 55 lakh people expected to get employment from this program
Government introduces a Rs 10,000 crores scheme for the formalisation of Micro Food Enterprises (MFE); the scheme promotes PM’s vision of ‘Vocal for Local with global outreach’. Government to immediately create a Rs 1 lakh crore Agri-Infrastructure Fund for farm gate infrastructure for farmers
During Covid lockdown period, the demand for milk reduced by 20-25%. A new scheme to provide interest subvention at 2% per annum to dairy cooperatives for 2020-21. The scheme will unlock Rs 5,000 crore additional liquidity benefit to 2 crore farmers. During lockdown period Minimum Support Price purchases of more than Rs 74,300 crores; PM Kisan fund transfer of Rs 18700 cr
