PM Modi to address post-Budget webinar on agriculture and rural prosperity on March 1

New Delhi, Feb 28 (IANS/ WISHAVWARTA ) Prime Minister Narendra Modi will take part in a post-budget webinar on ‘Agriculture and Rural Prosperity’ on March 1 at 12:30 PM through video conferencing. He will also deliver a keynote address during the session. The session will focus on promoting agricultural growth and rural prosperity by encouraging collaboration among experts, industry representatives, and policymakers. The webinar, organised by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, aims to bring together key stakeholders to discuss strategies for effectively implementing the agricultural and rural development plans announced in the Union Budget 2025. The event will begin at 10 AM and will feature multiple speakers discussing various aspects of agriculture and rural development. Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan is slated to present his views at 3:30 PM. The discussions will take place in structured, sub-theme-focused sessions, ensuring a well-rounded approach to achieving the goals set in the budget. As per an official statement, the webinar aims to bring together stakeholders for a focused discussion on implementing the 2025 budget announcements effectively. According to the Agriculture Ministry, the webinar will help align efforts between the private sector and government bodies to ensure timely and effective implementation of budget proposals. It will serve as a platform to gather insights, encourage dialogue, and take coordinated actions to enhance agricultural growth and improve the livelihoods of rural communities. Meanwhile, according to a statement from the Ministry of Agriculture on Friday, the number of farmers enrolled in the Centre’s scheme for forming and promoting Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) has reached 30 lakh nationwide, with nearly 40 per cent of them being women. The purpose of the scheme is to increase farmers’ income and provide small farmers with direct access to significant market benefits, bargaining power and improving market access. The initiative launched by PM Modi on February 29, 2020, offers a provision for handholding support for a period of five years to each new FPO that is formed, and financial assistance to the tune of Rs18 lakh to each FPO for meeting management costs for there years. -PM Modi