New scheme seeks to double farmers’ income by 2022

UP finance minister begins budget speech with schemes related to farmers’ welfare

LUCKNOW : State finance minister Suresh Khanna began his speech with schemes related to farmers’ welfare, while presenting the UP Budget proposals for 2021-22 in the Vidhan Sabha here on Monday. Last year, his budget speech had started with schemes on industrial development and infrastructure.

Giving a push to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s self-reliance slogan, the UP Budget announced ‘Atma Nirbhar Farmer Integrated Development Scheme’ for 2021-22, earmarking Rs 200 crore for the new scheme that seeks to double income of farmers by 2022.

The government announced expansion of the coverage of the

Chief Minister Farmer Accident Welfare Scheme, allocating Rs 600 crore for it. Under the scheme announced last year, a financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh is provided to family members of any eligible farmer in the event of his accidental death.

This time, the scheme has been expanded to cover earning members of farmers’ family as well as crop sharers or landless farmers doing farming on the lease. The budget also seeks to provide the benefit of the Mukhya Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana to farmers.

An outlay of Rs 700 crore has been made for free irrigation (canal water) under the scheme that has been continuing for several years. The government also earmarked a fund of Rs 400 crore as grant to provide subsidised crop loan for farmers.

The budget also fixed a target of providing 15,000 solar pumps to farmers during 2021-22 under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Surkasha Evam Uthhan Mahabhiyan.

to be set up to find ways to put women labourers at par with their male counterparts in terms of number of working hours, nature of work, wages and other facilities