New Delhi, Feb 1 (PTI) Finance Minister Piyush Goyal Friday said farmers will be provided ₹ 6,000 per year in three installments under a scheme to be fully funded by the central government.

Presenting the Interim Budget for 2019-20 in the Lok Sabha, Goyal sought to address some of the distress that the farm sector has been facing.

He said the government will provide ₹ 6,000 per year to farmers “in three installments” and it will be “fully funded by the central government”.

Allocation to MNREGA has been hiked to ₹ 60,000 crore for 2019-20, said Goyal, who stepped in as interim finance minister after Arun Jaitley had to fly to New York for medical treatment.

He further said the government had spent ₹ 1.7 lakh crore to supply food grains at cheaper price to poor in 2018-19 as against ₹ 92,000 crore in 2013-14.

Central-funded farmer support scheme provides annual direct cash support in three installments fully financed by the central government. A central government scheme will provide annual direct cash support of six thousand rupees to eligible farmers, disbursed in three installments, with the entire liability borne by the central government; the announcement is presented within the budgetary framework alongside increased allocations for rural employment programmes and expanded subsidised foodgrain distribution.