On 23^rd July 2024, Union Finance Minister Shri Nirmala Sitharaman presented the budget for the seventh consecutive time under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi's government 3.0. This historic budget showers the agricultural sector with transformative initiatives aimed at bolstering the nation's farming landscape.

➤ A whopping ₹ 1.52 lakh crore has been allocated to agriculture and allied sectors, marking a decisive step towards empowering farmers across the country.

➤ Key highlights include the introduction of 32 new fields for cultivation and 109 advanced, climate-friendly varieties of crops to enhance yields.

➤ Organic farming receives a major boost with plans to encourage one crore farmers through certification and branding initiatives, supported by the establishment of 10,000 Bio Input Resource Centres.

➤ In next three years, a Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) will be rolled out to digitally empower farmers nationwide.

➤ In a visionary move, comprehensive reforms in agricultural research aim to significantly enhance productivity and development. This budget also heralds the National Cooperation Policy under the guidance of Hon'ble Union Home and Cooperative Minister Shri Amitbhai Shah, fostering rapid growth in the cooperative sector.

Modi Ji's government 3.0 has crafted an unprecedented budget aimed at achieving self-reliance and delivering substantial benefits to the entire agriculture and cooperative sectors of our nation.

Many thanks to our visionary Prime Minister Modi for unveiling an unprecedented budget, complete with special provisions aimed at fostering national self-reliance and delivering substantial benefits to the agriculture and cooperative sectors across the country.

• Shri Dolar Kotecha, Chairman, NAFCARD & GSCARD Bank