Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had come live with the third chunk of measures under the Rs 20-lakh crore package. This package is for the revival of the economy hit by novel coronavirus outbreak.
The government has already announced relief measures to deal with the problems faced by the all-important Micro, Small and Medium-Scale Enterprises (MSMEs) apart from providing free ration and concessional rental benefits for migrant workers.
The government has also announced relief measures to address issues faced by the realty sector, street vendors and small traders. The latest announcements are focussed at the agriculture sector and allied industries.
The highlights of the 3rd chunk
- The finance minister announced that the focus would be on agriculture and allied services, like fisheries and food processing.
- India is the largest milk producer, largest jute and pulses producer, second largest in sugar cane, cotton, groundnut, fruits, vegetables and fisheries, third in cereals.
- FM appreciated the Indian farmers for giving the highest yield.
- The government announced 11 measures for the agriculture and allied sector today.
- Eight of these measures will strengthen the infrastructure to quickly ramp up storage, capacity and logistics etc, .
- The rest three will be linked to governance and administrative reforms.
- The government of India is introducing a law to provide farmers with inter-state trade free of barriers, a framework for e-trading of agriculture produce and adequate choices for them to sell produce at attractive price.
- The Centre has decided to amend the Essential Commodities Act, 1955, to provide farmers with better price realisation.
- Agriculture food stuffs such as cereals, oilseeds, onions, potato, edible oils will be deregulated.
- As part of TOP to TOTAL scheme, Rs 500 crore has been allocated to facilitate 50 per cent subsidy on transportation of all fruits and vegetables from surplus to deficit markets.
- The remaining 50 per cent subsidy will be available for storage, including cold storage.
- This is a pilot program for supply chains that will last for six months to begin with.
- To encourage beekeeping, Rs 500 crore has been earmarked by the Union government.
- This will increase the yield and quality of crops through pollination and provide honey and other products like wax.
- Rs 4,000 crore has been allocated to support 2.25 lakh hectare of area under the cultivation of medicinal plants.
- This will be done under the supervision of the National Medicinal Plants Board (NMPB).
- The government has earmarked Rs 15,000 crore for setting up animal husbandry infrastructure.
- This will be used to support private investment in Dairy Processing, value addition and cattle feed infrastructure.
- The Centre has launched the National Animal Disease Control Programme to ensure that Foot and Mouth Disease and Brucellosis is eradicated among live animals.
- A total of 100 per cent vaccination of cattle, buffalo, sheep, goat and pig population will be ensured.
- As many as 1.5 crore cows and buffaloes have been tagged till date as opposed to 53 crore animals in total.
- An amount of Rs 20,000 crores will be earmarked for fisheries.
- As part of this scheme, Rs 11,000 has been assigned for marine, inland fisheries and aquaculture and Rs 9,000 crore for infrastructure such as fishing harbour, cold chains and fish markets.
- Government to provide Rs 10,000 crore for the formalisation of micro-food enterprises.
- The scheme will help 2 lakh micro-food enterprises.
- The formalisation will be done on a cluster-based approach, like for Bihar it can be on makhanas, for Kashmir saffron, etc.
- Government announces Rs 1 lakh crore for aggregators, primary agriculture societies for strengthening the farmgate infrastructures, which includes cold chains, storage centres, yards, etc.
- New scheme has been launched for interest subvention at the rate of 2 per cent per annum to dairy cooperatives for 2020-21 aimed at unlocking Rs 5,000 crores additional liquidity, benefitting 2 crore farmers
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