BENGALURU:  Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on Saturday termed the Union Budget as “pro-people, pro-farmer and pro-poor.”“For the first time, the Union government has discussed agriculture in detail in the budget. This means that the Prime Minister has decided to restore the glory of Indian agriculture system,” the CM said. Yediyurappa said the programmes announced for the agriculture sector complements the PM’s vision to double the income of farmers.

He said providing Rs 2.83 lakh crore to the sector is a major deviation from routine budgetary allocations. Kisan Rail and Kisan Udan will facilitate speedy transportation and export of perishable agriculture products, which, in turn, will boost farmers’ income. Conservation measures in 100 water-stressed districts, which form one-fifth of the country, will help farmers in areas where underground water has almost been exhausted, he said.

The CM said encouraging production of solar energy and PM-KUSUM, the scheme to energize pumpsets via solar energy, will help more than 20 lakh farmers. Providing training in “Desi skills” will boost small and cottage industries under the MSME scheme, he said. 

He thanked the Finance Minister and the Centre for approving the suburban rail project. “This will boost infrastructure facilities in Bengaluru, which has turned into a favourite investment destination for MNCs. This will help us solve traffic congestion in the city,” the CM stated.