On Thursday, Kakani Govardhan Reddy, Agriculture Minister granted the 2023-24 budget for agriculture and allied sectors in the Legislative Assembly with a total investment of approximately ₹41,437 crores including ₹11,909 crores for water resources.
During the financial year 2022-23, Govardhan Reddy marked the growth of the agriculture and allied sectors at 13.18% marginally up from the previous year at 13.07% and affirmed that they were more than the national average of 10% and 11.30% respectively.
During the year 2022-23, the production of food grains was to be 169 lakh tonnes compared to 155 lakh tonnes during the year 2021-22.
This was the second largest allocation of ₹11,909 crores followed by ₹7,220 crores towards the expenditure of assistance to farmers in the DBT mode to meet the crop cultivation expenses under the YSR Bharosa- PM Kisan Scheme.
Other Allocations:
For YSR Uchita Vyavasaya Vidyut Pathakam offering free power supply to agricultural connections other substantial allocations were ₹5,500 crores and ₹2,000 crores for the Natural Calamity Relief Fund, ₹5,100 crores for MGNREGS works, ₹1,115 crores for animal husbandry and ₹1,600 crores for YSR Free Crop Insurance scheme.
Govardhan Reddy in regard to water resources said that the floodwaters of the Godavari were successfully rerouted by constructing the spillway, an approach channel, and spill and pilot channels and that the upper and lower cofferdam works had been completed.
The minister also said that as per the advice of the experts, the deep pits forming in the Godavari River during the TDP term were being filled and the necessary clearances had been obtained.
