Budget financial year 20 is high on prescriptions to bolster rural livelihoods, especially farm-linked and non-farm ones. Pisciculture and fishing will be thrust in the coming fiscal, with the government proposing the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana. FM Nirmala Sitharaman, in her Budget speech, said, This will address critical gaps in the value chain, including infrastructure, modernisation, traceability, production, productivity, post-harvest management, and quality control. From the Rs 645 crore that the newly-created department of fisheries (under ministry of fisheries, animal husbandry and dairying) receives for central sector expenditure other than establishment expenditure and centrally-sponsored schemes, Rs 560 will be earmarked for Blue Revolution this is a climb from the financial year 19 (RE) spend of Rs 501 crore (though Budget financial year 19 had allocated Rs 642 crore) and the financial year 18 actual of Rs 321 crore. The fisheries sector has grown from 4.9% in financial year 13 to 11.9% in financial year 18 and fish, and fish products exports accounted for Rs 47,620 crore in financial year 19. The Centre approved the creation of the Fisheries and Aquaculture Infrastructure Development Fund (FIDF) last year, with a fund size of Rs 7,522 crore to extend loans over financial year 19 to financial year 23 at concessional rates to states/UTs, state government entities, cooperatives, individuals and entrepreneurs, to achieve 15 million tonne production by 2020 under Blue Revolution and generate employment for 9.4 lakh fisherfolk. Dairying will be another thrust area, though the Budget allocates only Rs 2,140 crore for White Revolution while financial year 19 (RE) allocation was of Rs 2,430 crore. The Budget also talks of the Scheme of Fund for Upgradation and Regeneration of Traditional Industries (SFURTI) to set up common facility centres for traditional industries, especially bamboo, honey and khadi. While the National Bamboo Mission receives a marginally more significant Rs 150 crore, the Khadi Grant falls from Rs 413 crore in financial year 19 (RE) to Rs 308 crore in financial year 20 (BE). Under SFURTI, which receives Rs 125 crore, 100 new clusters will be set up in the current fiscal to enable 50,000 artisans to join the value-chain. Another scheme, ASPIRE (Scheme for Promotion of Innovation, Rural Industry and Entrepreneurship) will receive Rs 50 crore, against Rs 224 crore in financial year 19 (RE), to develop 75,000 skilled agro-rural entrepreneurs. The FM also said the government would support private enterprise working on other revenue streams from farm activities, such as the generation of renewable energy. While farmers can benefit from existing schemes on farm-based solar-generation and grid connectivity, unless the government subsidises the cost of solar panels, it is very difficult for these to take off.