New Delhi: Reaching out to a large electorate ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, the Modi government Friday announced a cash dole for small farmers, a mega pension scheme for the unorganised sector and doubled the threshold tax exemption limit to Rs 5 lakh. Presenting the interim 2019-20 union budget in Parliament, Finance Minister Piyush Goyal said Rs 6,000 per year cash support will be given to small and marginal farmers that will cost the exchequer Rs 75,000 crore annually, in a bid to provide relief to distressed farm sector.

Under the scheme called 'Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi', Rs 6,000 will be transferred into bank accounts of farmers holding up to 2 hectares of land in three equal instalments. Goyal said it will benefit 12 crore farmers and will be implemented from this fiscal itself. He said Rs 20,000 crore have been provided for current fiscal and also announced allocation of Rs 75,000 crore for the next fiscal. Unveiling the mega pension yojna for the unorganised sector workers that will benefit 10 crore people, Goyal said they will get assured monthly pension of Rs 3,000 after reaching the age of 60 years. "We are launching Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Mandhan today.