Syllabus: General Studies Paper 2

Context

• In her budget speech, Finance Minister Nirmala Sithraman reaffirmed the Centre’s commitment to natural, chemical-free, organic and zero-budget farming.
• While the FM talked of promoting natural or chemical-free farming across the country, especially in a corridor in the Gangetic basin, no specific allocations have been made to the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.
• In fact, currently-operational schemes such as the Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana and the National Project on Organic Farming did not find any mention in the budget.
• The Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana, which has received a 4.2-times (year-on-year) larger allocation of Rs 10,433 crore, will earmark some funds for the on-ground implementation of chemical-free farming.