Double PM KISAN amount, implement legal guarantee of MSP

Context: A Parliamentary panel report has recommended doubling
the annual financial assistance under the PM KISAN Samman Nidhi from Rs. 6,000
to Rs. 12,000 and a legal guarantee of Minimum Support Price (MSP) to farmers,
an issue that has been central to the farmers protest in Punjab and Haryana
last year. The recommendations are made by the standing committee on
agriculture, animal husbandry and food processing, which is headed by MP
Charanjit Singh Channi. The committee also recommended introducing a scheme to
waive off debts of farmers and farm labourers and they also recommended that
the government to explore the possibility of providing compulsory universal
crop insurance to small farmers with land holding of up to 2 hectares on the
lines of the centres health insurance scheme – PMJAY.

Key points

·      
Overview: Prime Minister has approved the 17th instalment of
the PM Kisan scheme. This move will benefit 9.3 crore farmers, amounting to a
distribution of approximately Rs 20,000 crore.

·      
Beneficiaries
outreach: Over 11 crore farmers (with
more than 3 crore women farmers) across the country have availed of the
PM-Kisan scheme, indicating its widespread reach and impact.

·      
Financial
Support: This financial aid helps
farmers meet their agricultural expenses, purchase seeds, fertilizers, and
other inputs, and support their families’ livelihoods.

·      
Improved
Agricultural Practices: This
contributes to food security and boosts the agricultural sector’s growth.

·      
Poverty
Alleviation: The scheme plays a crucial
role in alleviating poverty among small and marginal farmers by providing them
with a steady source of income just like Universal Basic Income (UBI).

·      
Enhanced
Livelihoods: PM-Kisan supports farmers’
livelihoods, by providing a safety net during times of agricultural distress or
economic uncertainties, ensuring a better quality of life for rural
communities.

PM-KISAN Scheme

·      
About: The Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) is a
Central Sector Scheme with 100% funding from the Government of India. It was implemented
by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmer’s Welfare in 2019.

·      
Aim: To help procure various inputs to ensure proper crop
health and appropriate yields, commensurate with the anticipated farm income at
the end of each crop cycle.

·      
Objective: To provide eligible farmers with annual financial
assistance of ₹6,000. This assistance is distributed in three equal instalments
of ₹2,000 every 4 months, via Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) into the bank
accounts of beneficiaries.

·      
Beneficiaries: Farmer families that hold cultivable land can apply
for the benefits of this plan. Small and Marginal Farmers (SMFs) (a farmer who
owns cultivable land up to 2 hectares as per land records of the concerned
State/UT). The entire responsibility of identification of beneficiary farmer
families rests with the State / UT Governments.