A wish list for agriculture

Is the Union government spending enough on agriculture? This question has gained salience in the run-up to the Budget to be presented on February 1, particularly because there is a demand that more resources should be allocated for the rural economy. The implicit idea is that an increase in the outlay for agriculture would result in higher disposable surplus in the hands of Indian farmers, who can then spend more and help revive demand and, therefore, the economy. What should the government do?

In the past many budgets of the Union government, finance ministers in their speeches would pay a lot