Budget 2023: No one slept hungry during the pandemic, and free food grains are given to 80 crore people: Sitharaman
The Finance Minister said that during the Corona epidemic, the government ensured that no one remained hungry, and for this continuous work was done and free food grains were provided to the people.
Highlights
- Under PMGKAVA, free food grains are continuously being provided to the people.
- Starting from January 1, an expenditure of Rs 2 lakh crore will be incurred on this.
- Private investment in the agriculture sector has increased to 9.3 per cent in 2020-21 from seven per cent in 2019-20.
New Delhi. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said in her budget speech on Wednesday that by providing free food grains to 80 crore poor people at the time of Kovid-19 epidemic, the central government has ensured that no person in the country remains hungry. He said that by getting the presidency of G20 at the time of global challenges, we have an opportunity to strengthen India’s role in the global system.
The Finance Minister said that under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAYA), the government is implementing a scheme to provide free food grains to poor people, on which an expenditure of Rs 2 lakh crore will be incurred starting from January 1. He informed that private investment in agriculture has increased to 9.3 percent in 2020-21, which was seven percent in 2019-20.
At the same time, the Finance Minister informed that the government has made a cash transfer of Rs 2.2 lakh crore under the PM-Kisan scheme. Presenting the last full budget of the second term of the BJP-led NDA government ahead of the 2024 general elections, he said the government’s mission is to promote a knowledge-based economy.
He further said that the Indian economy has become more organized due to the significant increase in digital payments. Institutional credit to the agriculture sector increased to Rs 18.6 lakh crore in the financial year 2021-22, from Rs 15.8 lakh crore in 2020-21. He said that initiatives such as PM-Kisan, PM-Fasal Bima Yojana and creation of Agriculture Infrastructure Fund have helped the sector.
He said that along with this the role of digital infrastructure in socio-economic development has increased and India has firmly established itself as a knowledge hub.
