Raising farmers income key to better agri-production

NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Rajiv Kumar on Wednesday said the government will now focus on raising the incomes of farmers.

"Many experts today said that we should shift from focus on agricultural production to raising farmers income, by improving productivity, lowering costs, greater efficiency, greater market access, making producers of products rather than commodities," Kumar told media here after a session with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other senior officials.

Earlier today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacted with experts and secretaries ahead of the Union Budget.

"Economic Policy - The Road Ahead" was the theme of the event.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley was also present. Several cabinet ministers also attended the meeting.

The bureaucrats shared their views on various economic themes such as macro-economy, agriculture and rural development, employment, health and education, manufacturing and exports, urban development, infrastructure and connectivity.

The Budget Session of Parliament is scheduled to be held from January 29 to February 9, while the second session will be held from March 5 to April 6.

The Budget will be presented on February 1.