Short shrift for agriculture

The sector did not get anticipated attention in Budget

If the government was expected to placate the farmers agitating at the Delhi borders for over two months through a few agriculture-friendly announcements in the 2021-22 Budget, it has not come about. Barring the data showing progressive increase in grain procurement at minimum support prices, there isn’t much in the Budget for the farmers to cheer about. Agriculture and rural development do not find a noticeable place in the six pillars of the Budget outlined by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in the beginning of her speech. This sector forms only part of the third component entitled “inclusive development for aspirational