FM Sitharaman Unveils Major Budget Boost for Farmers, Rural Sector, and Textiles

• Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced extensive initiatives for farmers and the rural sector, aiming to boost income and self-reliance.
• Key agricultural measures include credit-linked subsidies for animal husbandry, support for high-value crops like coconut, cashew, and promotion of sandalwood cultivation.
• A dedicated program for cashew and cocoa cultivation aims to make India self-reliant and transform these into premium global brands by 2030.
• The budget also introduced 'Bharat Vistar', a multilingual AI tool for agri stack integration, and 'She Marts' as community-owned retail outlets.
• Significant announcements for the textile sector include the National Fibre Scheme, Textile Expansion and Employment Scheme, and SAMARTH 2.0 for skill upgrades.

Why It Matters: FM Sitharaman's budget focuses on boosting agricultural income, self-reliance, and modernizing the textile sector.