Regular Update
ATM News Network: India's importance has increased as the Indian economy stands firm while other countries of the world are going through a recession. Highlighting this, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the budget for the year 2023-24. In this budget, the focus is on boosting digital platforms and artificial intelligence research, along with boosting agri-businesses.
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the budget in Parliament after concluding in the Economic Survey Report that India's agriculture sector has been growing strongly with an average annual growth of 4.6 per cent in the last six years. It is said that a network of digital infrastructure will be set up for the farmer to harvest any crop while making substantial provisions for the agriculture sector.
The central government is going to provide financial support to agri startups to strengthen the digital system in the agriculture sector. Also, the government is going to increase the agricultural loan target to 20 lakh crores. The government will focus on animal husbandry, dairy and fish businesses which complement the agriculture sector. Sitharaman announced a package of Rs 6,000 crore for fishermen and allied industries in the name of Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana. It will also provide financial support to encourage the use of biogas.
The government will try to provide maximum financial support to the cotton growers through clusters focusing on cotton crops. It will also help the farmers with the cultivation of cereals. In view of the International Year of Cereals being celebrated, the central government is going to set up a special hub for various pulses. The government is going to try to make cereals popular all over the world. For this purpose, the Food Research Centre of Hyderabad will be given a special grant and all the schemes will be implemented.
The government is working on the principle of seeking prosperity through cooperation and for this, the Centre has established a new Ministry of Cooperation. In the coming time, it will try to give strength to the farmers by giving priority to the cooperative model. As a part of it, it will help in the formation of small agricultural co-operative societies for five years. The government will try to deliver food to the last person in the country by implementing a food storage decentralization scheme. The government has also set a goal to empower the weak farmers of the country.
The use of AI i.e. artificial intelligence has increased in all fields. Keeping this in mind, the central government is going to create a system to research AI in India itself. It will develop an ecosystem of AI through a centre of excellence. This will benefit the students. Along with that, a special scheme will be implemented for the green revolution. It will try to reduce the use of chemical fertilizers and encourage traditional agriculture. For this, a network will be set up to promote the use of organic fertilizers.
