Chouhan Hails Budget 2024-25 as a Milestone for Agriculture, Rural Development, and Inclusive Growth

Shri Chouhan emphasized that the budget focuses on the soul of India—its villages—and the life of the nation—its farmers.

Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare and Rural Development, Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan, praised the Union Budget 2024-25, presented by Finance Minister Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman, calling it the budget of Amrit Kaal of India. He described it as a visionary document that underscores the foresight and resolve of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi towards a developed India. Shri Chouhan emphasized that the budget focuses on the soul of India—its villages—and the life of the nation—its farmers. He believes this budget will establish new dimensions in rural development and the agriculture sector, paving the way for a strong, prosperous, and self-reliant India by 2047.

Key Highlights: 

Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare:

Budget Allocation: Rs 1.52 lakh crore allocated for agriculture and related sectors.

High-Yielding and Climate-Friendly Crops: Release of 109 varieties of 32 high-yielding and climate-friendly crops.

Agricultural Research: Comprehensive review to emphasize climate-friendly crop development.

Mission Mode Production: Focus on pulses and oilseeds like mustard, groundnut, sesame, soybean, and sunflower.

Natural Farming: One crore farmers to be linked to natural farming in the next two years to boost productivity, reduce input costs, and positively impact the environment and public health.

MSP and Digital Integration:

Minimum Support Price (MSP): Continuous increase in MSP rates with at least 50% profit on cost.

Digital Land Records: Linking farmers' database with digital land records for paperless and contactless crop surveys and services.

Crop Loans: Streamlined process reducing the time to get a crop loan from 15-20 days to half an hour.

Market Ease: Digital system to ease produce sale in markets and mandis, with detailed land and crop records for 11 crore farmers in three years. Six crore farmers to be linked digitally in the first year, with 400 districts undergoing digital crop surveys.

Rural Development:

Rural Infrastructure: Rs 2.66 lakh crore allocated for rural development.

Housing: Construction of 3 crore houses under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana for rural and urban areas.

Women's Empowerment: Rs 3 lakh crore allocated for schemes related to women and girls, aiming to make 3 crore women 'Lakhpati Didis.'

Tribal Welfare: Launch of Pradhan Mantri Janjati Unnat Gram Abhiyan for tribal-majority areas and aspirational districts, benefiting 5 crore tribal people in 63,000 villages.

Inclusive Growth:

Shri Chouhan emphasized that the budget reflects the principles of 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Prayas' and will be a milestone in uplifting and developing women power.

He highlighted that the budget presents a comprehensive roadmap for India of 2047, projecting India as the world's third-largest economy in the coming years.

Shri Chouhan concluded by lauding the budget as an embodiment of social justice and a significant step towards India's golden future. In just a decade, India has risen to become the world's fifth-largest economy, and this budget sets the stage for further economic transformation.