Lok Sabha Question No. 331 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-02-04
Subject: Landless Farmers Welfare
Ministry: AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
Asked by: Shri Kaushalendra Kumar

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 331

TO BE ANSWERED ON 4 TH  FEBRUARY, 2025

## LANDLESS FARMERS WELFARE

## 331. SHRI KAUSHALENDRA KUMAR:

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

- (a) whether crores of landless farmers run their livelihood by farming on crop sharing basis with land-owners and such farmers are food providers in true sense, if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether it is true that such farmers bears all the costs in farming and works hard and they neither  get  subsidy  in  case  of  natural  calamity  nor  they  are  entitled  for  Kisan  Samman Pension;
- (c) if so, the details thereof;
- (d) whether the Government proposes to carry out survey of such crores of landless farmers and register them as farmers so that crop sharing farmers may also get their equal rights; and
- (e) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE कृ ͪष एवं ͩकसान कãयाण राÏय मंğी (SHRI RAMNATH THAKUR)

- (a) to (e): No specific census/survey of landless farmers has been conducted by this Ministry. Therefore, the exact number of landless farmers and farming on crop sharing basis with landowners  in  the  country  is  not  available.  However,  number  of  wholly  leased-in  operational holdings/landless  farmers  in  the  country  as  per  the  latest  Agriculture  Census  2015-16  is 5,31,285.

Agriculture being a State subject, the State Governments undertake implementation of agricultural schemes/programmes for the welfare of farmers including landless farmers and the Government of India also supplements these efforts through implementation of various central sector/centrally sponsored schemes/programmes. Among these, the schemes which specifically cover landless, tenant farmers and sharecroppers are the Pradhan Mantri Fasal

Bima Yojana (PMFBY) & Restructured Weather Based Crop Insurance Scheme (RWBCIS)

and Kisan Credit Card (KCC) scheme. Under the Kisan Credit Card (KCC) scheme, farmers receive KCC loans at a subsidized interest  rate  of  7%.  To  facilitate  this,  an  up  front  interest  subvention  (IS)  under  Modified Interest Subvention Scheme (MISS) 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. The benefits of IS and PRI are available for loan limits up to Rs.3 lakhs. However, if the short-term loan is taken for allied activities (other than crop husbandry), the loan amount is limited to Rs.2 lakhs only. As  per  master  circular  of  RBI  dated  04 th   July,  2018,  under  the  KCC  scheme,  Oral lessees and Share croppers, Self Help Group or Joint Liability Groups of farmers including tenant farmers, share croppers are eligible for short term loans. Further,  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. IS  and  PRI  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 Inter-Ministerial Central Team (IMCT) for grant of NDRF assistance and Sub-Committee of National Executive Committee (SC-NEC).

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