Third Phase of Atma Nirbhar Bharat Package

After relief measures for MSMEs, shadow banks, migrant labourers, street vendors, and small farmers.

On Friday Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman released the third tranche of the ₹ 20 lakh crore economic package, focusing on agriculture, fisheries, and allied activities.

Key Highlights of the 3^rd phase of the Atma Nirbhar Bharat Package:

• ₹ 1 lakh crore Agri Infrastructure Fund for farm-gate infrastructure for farmers to develop agriculture infrastructure for farmers and it helps them to improve their income. The Finance Minister also announced ₹ 10,000 crore for micro food enterprises following a cluster-based approach.

• To help inland fisheries and development of marine the government of India launches the ₹ 20,000 crore through Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY).

• The Government of India has also provided for a ₹ 15,000 crore Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development Fund, which will help cattle owners or support private investment in Dairy processing.

• FM also announced ₹ 13,343 crore to ensure 100% vaccination of all livestock (cattle, buffalo, sheep, goat, and pig) against foot and mouth disease.

• FM Sitharaman announces government to implement a ₹ 500 crore scheme of infrastructure development related to integrated beekeeping development centres, collection, marketing & storage centres, post-harvest and value addition facilities; this will lead to an increase in income of 2 lakh bee-keepers.

• With an aim to promote Herbal cultivation in the country, the government has allocated ₹ 4000 crore. The move objects to cover 10 lakh hectares under herbal cultivation in two years and National Medicinal Plants Board (NMPB) will bring an 800-hectare area by developing a corridor of medicinal plants along the banks of river Ganga.

• FM Nirmala Sitharaman on additional steps for agriculture during COVID-19. She said that “in the last two months several measures have been taken to support farmers, including Minimum Support Price (MSP) purchases of ₹ 73,300 crore during the lockdown.”

• In also addition ₹ 18,700 crore in cash dole out under the PM Kisan Fund (PMKF) transfers have been done and ₹ 6,400 crore of payment in crop insurance have been made.