Nirmala Sitharaman speech live updates: Finance Minister announces slew of measures, reforms for agricultural sector

The amendment of the Essential Commodities Act and the agricultural marketing reforms proposed by the Finance Minister are indeed heartening. We hope that the states fall in line with these changes: Chandrajit Banerjee, Director General, CII

Third tranche of govt's Rs 20 lakh crore stimulus: Highlights of Nirmala Sitharaman's speech

Read: Nirmala Sitharaman announces setting up of Rs 1 lakh crore agriculture infrastructure fund

A central law will be formulated to provide adequate choice to farmers to sell produce at attractive price, barrier-free inter state trade and a framework for e-trading of agricultural produce: FM

Agriculture products including cereals, edible oils, oilseeds, pulses, onions, and potatoes to be de-regulated by amending the Essential Commodities Act, 1955: FM

Operation Greens to be extended from Tomatoes, Onions and Potatoes (TOP) to all fruits and vegetables (TOTAL): Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman

This will help in bringing competitiveness in agriculture and will help in realising better price for farmers: Nirmala Sitharaman

The government will amend the Essential Commodities Act, 1955: Nirmala

National Medicinal Plants Board will bring 800-hectare area by developing a corridor of medicinal plants along the banks of river Ganga: FM

To promote beekeeping, a Rs 500 crore scheme is being introduced: Nirmala Sitharaman

It will focus on infrastructure development related to integrated beekeeping development centres, collection, marketing & storage centres, post-harvest and value addition facilities

It will lead to the generation of Rs 5,000 crore income for farmers, claims the finance minister

For the promotion of herbal cultivation, 10,00,000 hectares of land to be covered in the next two years with an outlay of Rs 4,000 crore: FM

An Animal Husbandry infrastructure development fund of Rs 15,000 crore will be set up, says Finance minister Nirmala

A National Animal disease control programme for food and mouth disease and Brucellosis launched with a total outlay of 13,343 crores: FM

Govt comes up with a Rs 20,000 crore scheme for fishermen called Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana ( PMMSY)

55 lakh people expected to get employment from this program, says the finance minister

The focus of these measures is to empower people, provide them with resources so that they can provide for themselves. These measures will help in making India stand on its own: Nirmala Sitharaman

This scheme will help the unorganised MFEs in technical upgradation for meeting FSSAI standards, marketing: FM

Govt has come up with a Rs 10,000 crore scheme for the formalisation of Micro food enterprises (MFEs): Nirmala Sitharaman

This fund will address the infrastructural issue for agricultural startups , says the finance minister