Modi’s Bold Steps to Improve Education and Healthcare in Union Budget 2023. The Indian Union Budget 2023 presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had a significant focus on the various sectors.
Dr. Suseelendra Desai, Dean, School of Agricultural Sciences and Technology, NMIMS Shirpur has applauded the union budget and the announcements made by the Finance Minister.
“The budget has been proposed under 7 areas – Saptarishi. But, a cross-talk between various ministries is essential for the smooth implementation of the schemes to maximize the envisaged outcomes. The outlay of 2.2 lakh crores under PMKISAN needs harmonization with similar schemes of some State Governments. A digital public infrastructure for the agriculture sector could be complete with a seamless flow of relevant data from across ministries. As horticulture, animal husbandry, dairy, and fisheries sectors contribute significantly to overall agricultural GVA, they need more support. Considering the 200 billion USD transport segment of the nation and about 40% loss of agricultural produce, focusing on warehousing and cold storage is a huge task and needs more impetus on expansion while plugging current loopholes. The CAPEX outlay also targets 100 critical transport projects, and its alignment with PM GatiShakti announced last year needs clarity.”
A cross-talk between various ministries is essential for the smooth implementation of the schemes to maximize the envisaged outcomes
He added that “The Upper Bhadra will provide some relief to farmers of drought-prone North Karnataka. The scientific approach for dry and wet waste management will indirectly cater to inputs for organic agriculture. The 3 AI centers of excellence and 100 labs promote tech-driven agriculture as well as PM GatiShakti. However, the budget is silent about the PM KISAN Drones Scheme announced last year which can solve labor shortages as well as health concerns of manual spraying operations. The PM PRAMAN Scheme to support green farming with 100 bio-input resource centers for natural farming needs handholding and technology backstopping as it is highly knowledge intensive. PM Kaushal Yojana 4.0 is a welcome step but should link with reforms in agricultural education and backward linkages for internships for undergraduate agriculture students. The GOBARDHAM scheme to convert waste to manure for a circular economy will work only when the hurdles like waste separation and collection are addressed. Reduced import duty on inputs of shrimp farming is a welcome step to cover a very high-risk production system. A huge outlay for compressed biogas plants for the circular economy, as well as waste management, could be linked to a carbon credit scheme to reap additional valorization.”
