Smt Nirmala Sitharaman, Union Finance Minister met stakeholder groups from agriculture and rural development at North Block, New Delhi on 11 June 2019 during a pre-budget consultation on agriculture and rural development. The Finance Minister sought their views to boost the socio-economic infrastructure of rural sector and ways to eradicate unemployment and poverty through development of agriculture and allied sectors as well as non-farm sector.
Shri Dilip Rath, Chairman, NDDB made submissions to rationalise direct and indirect taxes on dairy-related items, reduction of GST on ghee and flavoured milk, breeding inputs, reducing import duty on import of bovine germplasm, increasing export incentives, exempting incomes of dairy farmers and milk producers institutions from income tax, enhancing interest subvention on DIDF scheme, launching new dairy development schemes with JICA/World Bank assistance and introducing a national school milk programme. He also requested to make NDDB an implementing agency for grid connected solar irrigation pump and biogas/slurry making schemes on cooperative model to help the dairy sector sustain its growth momentum in the coming years.
Along with the Finance Minister, Minister of State for Finance and Corporate Affairs, Govt of India; Secretaries from departments of Finance, Expenditure, Revenue, DFS; Agriculture, Cooperation & Farmers Welfare; AH&D; Rural Development; Fisheries; DG, ICAR; Chief Economic Advisor, Chairperson, CBDT and Member of NITI Aayog were present.
Chairman NDDB attends Union Finance Minister’s pre-budget consultation
