Lok Sabha Question No. 4936 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-07-23
Subject: Transformation of Agriculture
Ministry: AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
Asked by: Raja Amareshwara Naik, Sukanta Majumdar, Vinod Kumar Sonkar

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, COOPERATION AND FARMERS WELFARE

## LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.4936

TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 23 RD  JULY, 2019

## TRANSFORMATION  OF AGRICULTURE

4936.   SHRI RAJA AMARESHWARA NAIK: DR. SUKANTA MAJUMDAR: SHRI VINOD KUMAR SONKAR:

Will the Minister of AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE कृ ष एवं कसान कयाण मंी be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  the  Government  has recently  constituted  a  high  powered committee  of Chief  Ministers  for 'Transformation of Indian Agriculture';
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether  the  Government  believes  that  the  cooperative  federalism  is  a  must  for agricultural reforms and if so, the details thereof;
- (d) whether the    Government    has  reviewed  the  performance  of  new  schemes/ programmes  implemented   for    doubling  the    farmers'    income    by    2022    and    if    so,  the shortcomings  noticed  which create hindrance in doubling the farmers' income;
- (e) the  steps  taken  by  the  Government  to  alleviate  these  shortcomings  and  improve  the quality  of  life  of  farmers,  especially small and marginal farmers; and
- (f) the  role  of  the  State  Governments  in    implementing    the    new    schemes    and programmes for the welfare of farmers?

## ANSWER

MINISTER  OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE

कृ ष एवं कसान कयाण मंी (SHRI NARENDRA SINGH TOMAR)

- (a) & (b):       Yes Sir.  The Government has constituted a High Powered Committee of Chief Ministers for 'Transformation of Indian Agriculture' on 01.07.2019 with the following composition:

- i) Sh. Devendra Fadnavis, Chief Minister,Maharashtra    : Convenor

- ii) Sh. H.D. Kumaraswamy, Chief Minister, Karnataka     : Member

iii)Sh. Manohar Lal Khattar, Chief Minister, Haryana       : Member

- iv) Sh. Pema Khandu, Chief Minister, Arunachal Pradesh : Member

- v)   Sh. Vijay Rupani, Chief Minister, Gujarat                    :  Member

- vi)  Sh. Yogi Adityanath, Chief Minister, Uttar Pradesh    :  Member

- vii) Sh. Kamal Nath, Chief Minister, Madhya Pradesh     :  Member

- viii) Sh. Narendra Singh Tomar, Minister, Agriculture, Rural Development and Panchayat Raj, GoI              :  Member

- ix)  Prof. Ramesh Chand, Member, NITI Aayog               : Member-   Secretary

- (c):        Yes  Sir,  since  Agriculture  is  a  State  subject.    The  State/UT  Governments  undertake development  of  perspective  plans  and  ensure  effective  implementation  of  the  programmes/ schemes. Government of India supplements these efforts through various Schemes/ Programmes aimed at inter-alia improving production, post harvest management, progressive agri-market reforms, access to credit, risk  management and income support. Hence Government  of  India  and  States  work  in  tandem  for  optimising  outcomes  of  the  various programmes implemented at district / block level for the benefit of farmers.
- (d) & (e):     All schemes of Department of Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers Welfare are for enhanced  agriculture  production  and  related  activities  to  contribute  to  the  national  target  of doubling  farmers  income  by  2022.        Every  scheme  has  an  inbuilt  mechanism  for  periodical review  in  consultation  with  the  implementing  states  and  suitable  measures  are  taken  for improving outcomes constantly and benefits to farmers.

Keeping  in  view  the  performance  of  various  initiatives,  some  more  interventions  have been made to improve the quality of life of farmers. Important of which are:

- i)   Simplification of procedures to avail Kisan Credit Cards (KCC), which provides agriculture credit  to  farmers  at  subsidized  rates,  with  a  2%  interest  subvention  (IS)  and  Prompt Repayment Incentive (PRI) of 3% so as to make the effective rate of interest as 4% include:
-  Activities relating to Animal Husbandry and Fisheries included in KCC - benefits of  IS and PRI also extended
- Indian Banker's Association has waived off processing fee, inspection, ledger folio charges and all other service charges for renewal/fresh issue of KCC.
-    RBI  has  raised  the  collateral  free  agriculture  loan  limit  from  existing  Rs.1  lakh  to  Rs.1.60 lakh.
5. ii)    Claims  of  Rs.  8,665  crore  were  paid  to  553.01  lakh  farmers  in  the  year  2018-19  under Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY).
6. iii) Giving a major boost for the farmers income, the Government approved the increase in the Minimum Support Price (MSPs) for all Kharif & Rabi crops for 2018-19 season at a level of at least 150 percent of the cost of production.
7. iv) To provide income support to all farmers' families across the country and enable them to take care of expenses related to agriculture and allied activities as well as domestic needs, the Government   started   a   new  Central   Sector   Scheme,  namely,  the Pradhan Mantri Kisan contd..2/-

Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN). The scheme aims to provide a payment of Rs. 6000/- per year, in three 4-monthly installments of Rs. 2000/- to the farmers, subject to certain exclusions relating to  higher  income  groups.    An  amount  of  Rs.  12646.579  crore  has  been  distributed  to 632.32895 lakh farmers in the year 2018-19.

v)   To provide social security net for Small and Marginal Farmers (SMF) as they have minimal or no savings to provide for old age and to support them in the event of consequent loss of livelihood, the Government has decided to implement another new Central Sector Scheme for providing old age pension to these farmers. Under this Scheme, a minimum fixed pension of Rs. 3000/- be provided to the eligible small and marginal farmers, subject to certain exclusion clauses,  on  attaining  the  age  of  60  years.  The  scheme  aims  to  cover  around  5  crore beneficiaries in the first three years. It would be a voluntary and contributory pension scheme, with entry age of 18 to 40 years. The Government has approved a budgetary provision of Rs. 10774.50 crore for the scheme till March, 2022.

(vi)   Giving a major boost to the pro-farmer initiatives, the Government has approved a new Umbrella Scheme 'Pradhan Mantri  Annadata  Aay Sanrakshan Abhiyan   (PM-AASHA)'.  The Scheme  is  aimed at  ensuring  remunerative  prices  to  the  farmers  for  their  produce  as announced in the Union Budget for 2018. This is an unprecedented step taken by Govt. of India towards the welfare of farmers.

(vii)  585  wholesale  regulated  markets  of  16  States  and  02  UTs  have  been  integrated  with National Agriculture Market (e-NAM) platform.  e-NAM has recently achieved another milestone  by  commencing  inter-State  trade  between  mandis  of  two  different  States.  Earlier trade used to happen either within the Agricultural Produce Market Committees (APMCs) or between two APMCs situated within same state. Eleven States/UT have participated in interstate trade on e-NAM platform.

(f): It  is  very  important  that  States  make  full  use  to  the  central  assistance  by  timely submission  of  data  required,  utilisation  certificates  and  progress  reports  of  funds  released  in earlier year and annual action plan.

********