Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal on Saturday discussed the provisions of the Union budget 2024 with the leaders of the business community, youth as well as women in Meghalaya's Shillong.
The discussion revolved around provisions of the budget that is set to unroll the roadmap towards realising the vision of Viksit Bharat.
During the discussion, Sarbananda Sonowal asserted that Northeast India, which plays a very important role, stands to benefit from this budget as it aims to empower the region’s economic, industrial and agricultural sectors with the enablement of youth, women and tribal communities.
Sonowal said, “The Union Budget, 2024 sets the roadmap for India towards becoming Viksit Bharat. With renewed vigour and priority, the budget aims to boost economic, industrial and agricultural sectors with the enablement of youth, women and tribal communities of the Northeast. Our dynamic Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi ji has identified our beautiful northeast as the ‘Astalakshmi’ and the new engine of India’s growth. Under Modi ji, the provision in this budget for empowerment and enablement of tribal communities has increased nearly 200 percent with an allocation of Rs 13,000 crores which will be used for the welfare of the tribal communities."
Highlighting the budgetary boost for agriculture in the Northeast, the Union Minister said, “Under the dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi ji, we are working towards unlocking the tremendous potential of the Northeast as the hub of Natural Farming and Horticulture as well as enabling our young talent to become world-class skilled workforce. The release of 109 high-yielding and climate resilient varieties of 32 field and horticulture crops offers an opportunity for Meghalaya, a pioneer in this field, to multiply income generation and mitigate the adverse effects of climate change. With the proposed digital crop survey, access to credit will improve via Kisan Credit Cards. An allocation of Rs 598 crores for the eco-friendly sustainable agriculture project will control the adverse effects of climate change, soil erosion and insect, pest & disease infestation which greatly improve the prospects of agricultural produce from the region.”