There is already in existence a provident fund scheme run by the state Left Front government for the landless agricultural labourers. The state contribution has been doubled in this year%u2019s budget in this head. The net of PF will be widened this year to bring in 1.5 million agricultural workers anew as beneficiaries.
To increase agricultural production from a growth rate of just fewer than 4 per cent to over 4.5 per cent, appropriate agricultural inputs in good measure will be made available to the cultivators. Irrigated land mass will be increased from the 70.5 per cent to 75 per cent of the cultivated and cultivable land plots. The national rural employment guarantee (NREGA) projects are continuously augmented. To help the animal resources department cope with the after effects of the bird flu (44 lakh million birds had to be culled), its allotment has been increased from Rs 23 crore to Rs 63 crore. The public distribution system is further strengthened despite non-cooperation of the union government.
With industrial development progressing apace, the budget emphasises the twin processes of rehabilitation-compensation and professional on-the-job training schemes for the land losers. An additional fund of Rs 100 crore is created for this purpose alone. With employment industries expected to exceed 3.5 lakh (again, in terms of direct employment), a budgetary allocation of Rs 71 crore has been earmarked. Around 90 per cent of the villages and townships have been brought
