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Agriculture Budget 2022: From Rs 2.73 lakh crore MSP payments to promoting chemical farming, know what this budget has in store for farmers

Agriculture Budget 2022: In the budget speech, Nirmala Sitharaman announced the Minimum Support Price and also gave a heads up to promote chemical farming. Finance Minister announced a number of things for farmers and for the agriculture sector.

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Education Budget 2022

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the Union Budget 2022 today on Tuesday, February 1. The main highlight of this year’s budget was the agriculture sector. In the budget speech, Nirmala Sitharaman announced the Minimum Support Price and also gave a heads up to promote chemical farming. Finance Minister announced a number of things for farmers and for the agriculture sector.

Here are the highlights of what this year’s budget has in store for farmers:

Minimum Support Price

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that Rs 2.73 lakh crore direct payments to farmers against procurement of wheat and paddy crops will be made in the form of MSPs.

Chemical Farming

Finance Minister Sitharaman said that chemical farming will be promoted beginning with 5 km wide corridors along the river Ganga.

Kisan Drones

Sitharaman in the announcement said that the use of Kisan drones for crop assessments, land records, spraying of insecticides is expected to drive a wave of technology in the agriculture and farming sector.

Ken Betwa Linking project

Implementation of Ken Betwa Linking project at est. cost of Rs. 44,605 Cr. to be taken up with irrigation benefits to 9.0 lakh hectare farmland, drinking water to 62 lakh people, 103 MW hydropower. 27 MW solar power generation, said Finance Minister.

Digital services for farmers

Nirmala Sitharaman said that the fund to be facilitated through NABARD to finance start-ups for agriculture and rural enterprise, relevant for farm produce value chain start-ups will support FPOs, provide tech to farmers.

Read Also: Budget 2022: When and where to watch live speech of Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman

MSMEs to be introduced

Nirmala Sitharaman said that for farmers to adopt natural farming, a comprehensive package for the participation of state governments and MSMEs to be introduced.

To catch the latest updates on budget, check our LIVE blog for Budget 2022.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_fEBlPhdus

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Centre pushes states to cut levies to boost PNG adoption

The Centre has asked states to reduce local levies and streamline approvals to accelerate PNG adoption and city gas infrastructure growth.

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LPG Cylinder

The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas has urged states and Union Territories to ease local levies and procedural barriers affecting City Gas Distribution (CGD) projects, in a bid to accelerate the adoption of piped natural gas (PNG) as a cleaner fuel alternative.

In a communication sent to Chief Secretaries, Petroleum and Natural Gas Secretary Neeraj Mittal highlighted that high right-of-way charges, road cutting fees, lease rentals and other local levies imposed by urban bodies are discouraging investments in CGD infrastructure.

High costs slowing expansion

The ministry pointed out that the CGD sector, particularly PNG supply to households and commercial establishments, does not receive direct subsidies. As a result, it depends heavily on viable returns, which are being impacted by excessive and inconsistent local charges across states.

It noted that these financial and procedural hurdles are slowing down infrastructure expansion and affecting the broader adoption of natural gas.

Gap between connections and usage

According to the government, while around 12.63 crore PNG connections have been recorded, only about 1.6 crore are currently active. The ministry stressed that improving ease of doing business at state and local levels could help bridge this gap and expand the consumer base.

Officials believe that rationalising levies may initially reduce local revenues but could lead to higher long-term gains through increased gas consumption and economic activity.

LPG shortage adds urgency

The push for PNG adoption comes amid supply constraints in liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), linked to ongoing tensions in the Middle East. Oil marketing companies are currently supplying only 20 per cent of normal commercial LPG demand to states.

To address this, the ministry has proposed increasing LPG allocation to 30 per cent for states that implement reforms supporting PNG and CGD expansion.

Reform-linked incentives for states

The Centre has suggested a set of measures that states can adopt to qualify for higher LPG allocations. These include:

  • Setting up empowered state and district-level committees for faster approvals
  • Introducing single-window clearance with deemed approvals within 24 hours
  • Implementing a dig-and-restore model using bank guarantees instead of restoration charges
  • Eliminating annual rental or lease charges for CGD infrastructure

The ministry said compliance with these reforms would be verified before granting additional LPG allocations.

Industry support measures

The communication also noted that GAIL and its subsidiaries have already allocated full gas supply to the commercial PNG segment to support businesses affected by reduced LPG availability.

The government reiterated that expanding natural gas usage aligns with its broader push for cleaner and domestically sourced energy.

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BJP seals Assam seat-sharing pact, Modi to hold 3 rallies in April

BJP has finalised its Assam seat-sharing plan with allies and is gearing up for an intense campaign led by PM Modi and Amit Shah.

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The Bharatiya Janata Party has finalised its seat-sharing arrangement for the upcoming Assam Assembly elections, firming up its strategy alongside National Democratic Alliance partners as campaigning gathers pace in the state.

Under the agreement, the BJP will contest 89 seats, while its allies — Asom Gana Parishad and Bodoland People’s Front — will field candidates in 26 and 11 constituencies respectively. The distribution has been decided after internal deliberations, with the focus now shifting to candidate announcements and campaign execution.

Campaign push led by top leadership

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to address three rallies in Assam during the final leg of the campaign. Tentative dates for the rallies are April 1, April 3 and April 6, with events likely to be held in key constituencies.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah is also set to spearhead an extensive campaign across the state through March, aiming to energise party workers and strengthen voter outreach.

Candidate selection underway

The party’s Central Election Committee is currently meeting to finalise candidates. Sources indicate that approvals for most constituencies are expected soon, and the BJP may release its complete list of candidates within the next two days.

Ticket distribution remains a crucial exercise, with internal discussions highlighting its potential impact on local political dynamics. Party leaders have also touched upon the proposed delimitation exercise scheduled for 2027, which is expected to have long-term implications for Assam’s electoral landscape.

Polling and counting dates

Voting for all 126 Assembly seats in Assam is scheduled for April 9, while the votes will be counted on May 4.

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Delhi Palam fire leaves 6 dead, massive rescue operation underway

Six people died after a fire broke out in a residential building in Delhi’s Palam. Firefighters continue rescue efforts with 30 tenders at the spot.

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Delhi's palam

A tragic fire incident in southwest Delhi’s Palam area on Wednesday morning claimed the lives of six people, triggering a large-scale emergency response.

According to officials, the blaze erupted in a residential building, prompting immediate action from fire and police authorities. Around 30 fire tenders were rushed to the spot to control the flames and carry out rescue operations.

Authorities said they received a distress call at approximately 7 am reporting the fire at a house within the building. Firefighters were deployed swiftly amid concerns that several residents could be trapped inside the structure.

A fire services official stated that initial information suggested people might still be inside, leading to an intensive search and rescue effort. Emergency teams, including police personnel, reached the congested locality to assist in evacuation and crowd management.

The firefighting operation was still ongoing at the time of reporting. The exact cause of the fire has not yet been determined, and further details are awaited as authorities continue their investigation.

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