Amid severe water shortage in several districts and rising farm distress, the government has allocated Rs 16,095.18 crore for the agriculture sector in its additional Budget for the current financial year as against Rs 13,272.33 crore last fiscal. The state has set an ambitious target of doubling farmers' income by 2022. Presenting the Budget, Finance Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar said on Tuesday the government has set aside Rs 12,597 crore for the irrigation sector and plans to use Rs 350 crore to promote micro irrigation. With crop sector growth likely to dip by 8% this year, as per the Maharashtra Economic Survey, and a few months to go for the Assembly elections, the government has laid emphasis on irrigation, soil and water conservation, agriculture, animal husbandry, dairy and fisheries. However, it has refrained from announcing a complete farm loan waiver in view of fund crunch. Under the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Shetkari Sanman Yojana, which was launched in 2017, the government has so far sanctioned Rs 24.102 crore to 50.27 lakh account holders. Under the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana, the government plans to complete 26 incomplete and long-pending irrigation projects which entail an investment of Rs 22,398 crore. The government hopes that the completion of these projects will benefit 5.56 lakh hectares of farmland and lead to storage of 47,000 million cubic feet of water. Of these, five projects have been completed by March 2019 and five more will be completed by June end. The remaining will be ready by December 2020. In view of burgeoning incidents of farmers suicides, the government proposes to complete 91 irrigation projects in Vidarbha, Marathwada and rest of Maharashtra with an investment of Rs 15,326 crore. As far as drought relief measures are concerned, Mungantiwar said Maharashtra has received Rs 4,249 crore from the Centre. The funds will be used for farmers who have lost their crops due to scanty and uneven rain in 151 drought-hit tehsils. It will also help the state tackle the scarcity of drinking water and fodder. The government has started 1,635 fodder camps wherein 11.4 lakh animals were benefited, said Mungantiwar. Further, the government has deployed 6,597 tankers to supply drinking water and has acquired 9,925 wells and borewells. To promote research in four agricultural universities, the government has proposed an allocation of Rs 600 crore. This apart, under the Atal Arthsahay Yojana, Rs 500 crore will be made available to provide financial assistance to agricultural, non-agricultural innovative projects, and agro-based projects from various cooperative institutions.

Stay updated with all the Mumbai Latest News headlines here. For more exclusive & live news updates from all around India, stay connected with NYOOOZ.