NDA snatches UPA’s agenda

The snatching of the “poverty” agenda from the Congress seems to have been completed by the NDA government which has increased the budget for the agriculture and rural development sectors by 24 per cent in a single year with a promise to eliminate poverty from more than 3 lakh villages over the next two years.

“The government will continue to work closely with the farmers and the people in the rural areas to improve their life and environment. This is a non-negotiable agenda for our government,” finance minister Arun Jaitley declared in his budget speech amid thumping of desk by the BJP members.

The total allocation for the rural, agriculture and allied sectors in 2017-18 is `1,87,223 crore, which is 24 per cent higher than the previous year.

Stating that the government would start a Mission Antyodaya for poverty alleviation in the country, he said the aim is to make 50,000 gram panchayats poverty-free by 2019. This means, if one gram panchayat has an average six villages, at least 3,00,000 of them will be out of the poverty map.

To bring one crore households out of poverty net by 2019, the 150th birth anniversary of (Mahatma) Gandhiji, is the vision of the government, he added.

Mantri Gram Aawaas Yojana (gramin) has been increased to `23,000 crore from `15,000 crore. Similarly, the allocation for National Rural Livelihood Mission for promotion of skill development has also been increased to `4,500 crore in 2017-18.

In a bid to ensure safe drinking water to over 28,000 arsenic and fluoride affected habitations in the next four years, the government will start a sub-mission of the National Rural Drinking Water Programme.

Mr Jaitley said that masonry training will be provided to 5 lakh persons by 2022, with an immediate target of training at least 20,000 persons by 2017-18. The Ministry also mentioned that Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin) has made tremendous progress in promoting safe sanitation and ending open defecation.

Sanitation coverage in rural India has gone up from 42 per cent in October 2014 to about 60 per cent.