Lok Sabha Question No. 384 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2015-12-01
Subject: Farmers&#39; Welfare
Ministry: AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
Asked by: GAJANAN CHANDRAKANT KIRTIKAR, ASHOK SHANKARRAO CHAVAN, NARANBHAI KACHHADIA, BIDYUT BARAN MAHATO, NAGARAJAN P., KUNWAR HARIBANSH SINGH, SUDHEER GUPTA, SUNIL BALIRAM GAIKWAD, RAVINDRA KUMAR PANDEY

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

## LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 384

TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 1 ST  DECEMBER, 2015

## FARMERS' WELFARE

## 384.   SHRI GAJANAN KIRTIKAR:

SHRI ASHOK SHANKARRAO CHAVAN: SHRI NARANBHAI KACHHADIYA: SHRI BIDYUT BARAN MAHATO: SHRI P. NAGARAJAN: KUNWAR HARIBANSH SINGH: SHRI SUDHEER GUPTA: DR. SUNIL BALIRAM GAIKWAD: SHRI RAVINDRA KUMAR PANDEY:

Will the Minister of AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE कृ षि एवं ककसान कल्याण मंत्री be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has included a new component in farmer's welfare programme;
- (b) if so, the salient features of the programme;
- (c) the benefits likely to accrue to the farmers under the programme; and
- (d) the  other  steps  taken/being  taken  by  the  Government  for  welfare  of  farmers  in  the country?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE

कृ षि एवं ककसान कल्याण मंत्राऱय में राज्य मंत्री (SHRI  MOHANBHAI  KUNDARIA)

(a) to (c): Yes,  Madam.   The Department of Agriculture and Cooperation and the Ministry of Agriculture have been renamed as the Department of Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers Welfare (DAC&FW) and the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare respectively. With a view to focus on the issues of farmers welfare, the DAC&FW has created a separate Division called 'Farmers Welfare' under the charge of a senior officer.  The Government believes, that farmers' welfare will improve if there is increase in net income from the farms.  With this end in view,  the  approach  is  to  reduce  cost  of  cultivation,  enable  higher  yield  per  unit  and  realize remunerative prices.  Some of the important new initiatives in this context are:

Soil Health Card (SHC) scheme by which the farmers can know the exact nutrient level available in their soils which will ensure judicious use of fertilizer application and save money. The balanced use of fertilizer will also enhance productivity and ensure higher returns to the farmers.

Similarly,  Neem  Coated  Urea  is  being  promoted  to  regulate  use  urea,  enhance  its availability to the crop and cut on cost.  The entire quantity of domestically manufactured is now neem coated.

Paramparagat  Krishi  Vikas  Yojana  (PKVY)  is  being  implemented  with  a  view  to promoting  organic  farming  in  the  country.    This  will  improve  soil  health  and  organic  matter content and increase net income of the farmer so as to realize premium prices.

The Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana (PMKSY) is another innovative scheme to expand cultivated area with assured irrigation, reduce wastage of water and improve water use efficiency.

In  order  to  promote  reforms  of  the  agricultural  marketing  sector  and  to  provide  a common  electronic  platform  deployable  in  selected  regulated  markets  across  the  country, national scheme called 'National Agriculture Market' (NAM) has been introduced.

The proposed new National Crop Insurance Scheme will protect the interest of farmers with a broader coverage towards crop losses and other such natural calamities.   This is an intervention to cover the risks involved in farming.

(d):        The  State  Governments  are  primarily  responsible  for  development  of  the  agriculture sector.  However,  the  Government  of  India  supplements  the  efforts  of  the  States  through appropriate policy measures and budgetary support. Various programmes/ schemes/missions for  the  development  of  agriculture  sector  are  being  implemented  in  a  decentralized  manner with flexibility  to  State  Governments to formulate and implement appropriate projects to suit their  specific  requirements.  Some  of  the  important  schemes/programmes  implemented  as Centrally  Sponsored  Schemes  are  National  Food  Security  Mission  (NFSM);  Mission  for Integrated  Development  of  Horticulture  (MIDH);  National  Mission  on  Oilseeds  &  Oil  Palm (NMOOP);  National  Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA);  National Mission on Agricultural Extension & Technology (NMAET);   National Crop Insurance Programme (NCIP); Unified National Agriculture Markets; and Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY).

Other  measures  taken  for  the  benefit  of  the  farmers  include  enhancement  in    the Minimum Support Prices (MSP) to eliminate distress sale of agricultural produce by farmers, support  to  the  farmers  from  time  to  time  like  debt  waiver/relief,  interest  subvention  on  crop loans, revival package for strengthening Short Term Rural Cooperative Credit Structure, etc

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