Maharashtra may have a separate agriculture budget

The Agriculture Department of Maharashtra government has sought a separate 'agriculture budget' for the state.
A proposal has been submitted to the Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan. If it is accepted, Maharashtra will become the third state after Karnataka and Odisha to have a separate budget for agriculture.
According to officials, a separate budget would eliminate duplicity of fund allocation.
Nearly sixty per cent of the population in the state is dependent upon agriculture, but the budget of the state is rarely an agriculture-oriented one, said an official.
"Besides, multiplicity of schemes result in delay in the funds reaching the actual beneficiaries," the official said.

The Tribal, Social Welfare and Agriculture Departments have several schemes that overlap. Projects such as soil conservation, irrigation, among others are handled by both the Agriculture and the Water Resources Departments. A single agriculture budget can deal with fund allocation for eight to ten departments, officials feel.
Agriculture Minister Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil is for the proposal; he had assured the Legislative Council last year that the state will have a separate agriculture budget in the near future.