Budget 2021 Update: Agriculture Ministry gets Rs. 1,31,531 crore for 2021-22; Half of it for PM-Kisan Yojana

PM-Kisan Update: Agriculture & Farmers' Welfare Ministry has received 5.63% more budget allocation at Rs 1, 31,531 crore for FY2021-22. Half of the amount will be spent on Centre’s flagship scheme Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana or PM Kisan.  Moreover a little higher funds are made available for agri-infra fund as well as irrigation programmes.

The revised budget of the ministry is estimated to be Rs 1, 24,519 crore for FY2020-21, as per the Budget 2021 document presented in the Parliament by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

Out of the total allocation made to the ministry for the next fiscal year, Rs 1,23,017.57 crore has been alloted to Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare Department and Rs 8,513.62 crore to Agricultural Research and Education Department.

According to the Budget document, the allocation for ten central schemes has been raised marginally to Rs 1, 05,018.81 cr for 2021-22 from the revised estimate of Rs 1, 03,162.30 cr for the current fiscal year.

Among the main central schemes, a huge allocation of Rs 65,000 crore has been made for PM-Kisan Yojana, under which the government gives Rs 6,000 to farmers every year in three equal installments.

Likewise, the allocation for formation and promotion of 10,000 FPOs has been raised to Rs 700 crore from Rs 250 crore and agriculture infrastructure fund has been increased to Rs 900 crore from Rs 208 crore. Allocation for Pradhan Mantri Annadata Aay Sanrakshan Yojana (PM-AASHA) has also been raised to Rs 1,500 crore for the next fiscal year.

Besides 10 central schemes, the government has also allotted funds for regulatory & autonomous bodies.

Moreover, it has allocated funds for 18-odd central sponsored yojana’s under which funds are given to states & union territories for implementation.

The allocation for Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana has been increased significantly to Rs 4,000 crore from Rs 2,563 crore in the revised estimated. The government has also raised allocation to the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying to Rs 4,820.82 crore from previous Rs 3,918.31 crore.