Lok Sabha Question No. 379 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-07-22
Subject: Small Farmer Welfare
Ministry: AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
Asked by: Smt. Malvika Devi

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 379

TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 22 ND  JULY, 2025

## SMALL FARMER WELFARE

## 379.   SMT. MALVIKA DEVI :

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

- (a) the details of the steps being taken to help small farmers of two three acres of land whose crops have gotten destroyed due to untimely rain and who haven't applied for fasal bima;
- (b) whether the Government has increased the loan limit of kisan credit card as the farmers are having difficulties due to increase in costs; and
- (c) the initiatives taken to ensure the farmers are aware of the welfare schemes initiated for and reap maximum benefit from them?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE

कृ ͪष एवं ͩकसान कãयाण राÏय मंğी (SHRI RAMNATH THAKUR)

(a) :   As per the National Disaster Management Plan (NDMP), the primary responsibility of disaster management including damage assessment and providing relief measures on ground level, rests with the State Governments concerned. The Central Government provides requisite logistics and financial support to the efforts of the State Governments. The State Governments provide financial relief to the affected people in the event of 12 notified natural disasters, from the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF), already placed at its disposal, in accordance with approved items and norms  of  Government  of  India  (GOI).  However,  in  the  event  of  disaster  of  a  'severe  nature', additional financial assistance is extended from the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF), as per laid down procedure, which includes an assessment based on the visit of an Inter-Ministerial Central Team (IMCT). The financial assistance provided under SDRF and NDRF is by way of relief

- and not for compensation.
- (b) : The Government is implementing a 100% centrally funded Central Sector Scheme known as the Modified Interest Subvention Scheme (MISS) across various States and UTs in pan India. This scheme provides concessional interest rates on short-term agricultural loans obtained by farmers through Kisan Credit Cards (KCC) for their working capital requirements.

Under this scheme, farmers receive KCC loans at a subsidized interest rate of 7%. To facilitate this, an up front interest subvention (IS) of 1.5% is provided to financial institutions. Additionally, farmers  who  repay  their  loans  promptly  receive  a  3%  Prompt  Repayment  Incentive  (PRI), effectively  reducing  the  interest  rate  to  4%  per  annum.  To  provide  relief  to  the  farmers  on occurrence  of  natural  calamities,  the  component  of  interest  subvention  is  available  on  the restructured amount to banks for the first year and such restructured loans would attract normal rate  of  interest  from  the  second  year  onwards  as  per  the  policy  laid  down  by  RBI.  Interest subvention and prompt repayment incentive on restructured crop loans is also given to farmers affected by severe natural calamities for a maximum period of 5 years based on the report of InterMinisterial Central Team (IMCT) for grant of NDRF assistance and Sub-Committee of National Executive Committee (SC-NEC).

Keeping in view the overall inflation and rise in agriculture input cost over the years, it has been decided to raise the limit for collateral free agricultural loans including loans for allied activities from the existing level of Rs.1.6 lakh to Rs.2 lakh per borrower, effective from 1 January 2025.

(c): The Government of India is implementing a Central Sector Scheme 'Mass Media Support to Agriculture  Extension'  through  DD  Regional  Kendra,  DD  Kisan  and  All  India  Radio  to  create awareness and dissemination of scheme benefits and advisories to farming community. Under the scheme, 18 DD Regional Kendras, 97 FM stations of AIR and DD Kisan are being utilized for wider publicity of department schemes, on-going initiatives, policy decisions, and advisories. In addition, "Audio-Visual  spots  are  being  used  to  broadcast  and  telecast  information  about  the  DA&FW schemes Doordarshan (DD), All India Radio (AIR) and private TV and radio channels as a part of 'Focused Publicity and Awareness Campaign'. Besides, publicity & awareness is also carried out through Outdoor Publicity as well as through print advertisements in leading newspapers across the country. The social media platforms viz Facebook, X, Instagram, Threads, YouTube, LinkedIn, WhatsApp, Public App etc are also being used for better outreach and wider publicity about details of Farmers Welfare Schemes of the Department.

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