Meghalaya Agriculture Response Vehicle Scheme
Category: Agriculture,Rural & Environment
Level: State | State: Meghalaya

Details:
The scheme “Meghalaya Agriculture Response Vehicle Scheme” was launched by the Department of Agriculture &amp; Farmers’ Welfare, Government of Meghalaya, aims to provide 50% financial aid to buy commercial vehicles by 200 selected beneficiaries for agriculture transport. These vehicles will help the community involved in agriculture and allied sectors to transport their agricultural products and raw materials. The scheme also focuses on the economic upliftment of farmers by providing them with transportation at a competitive cost.
**Objectives:**

  - To increase the profitability of farmers by providing access to the market by supporting them with a mobility solution.
  - To provide a mobility solution to various registered farmer’s associations which will increase aggregation and their market reach.
  - To lower the transportation cost for farmers by introducing agriculture response vehicles for farmers at each CD Block of the State.
  - To encourage individual entrepreneurship among the rural community by supporting them to buy commercial vehicles thereby creating livelihood opportunities.

Benefits:
The following benefits are provided under the scheme:
200 agriculture transport vehicles to be distributed across Meghalaya for individual entrepreneurs and any registered farmer’s organizations with 50% financial aid.
Vehicles will be pre-fitted with GPS devices.
Farmers will have access to more vehicles dedicated to agriculture transportation services.
The Project Management Unit will help in the connection between the farmers and agriculture response vehicles when demand arises.
Financing Plan:
Financing of the vehicles to the selected beneficiaries of the scheme shall be done through any branch of Meghalaya Rural Bank (MRB).
The bank will sanction 50% of the on-road vehicle cost of the beneficiary in the form of a term loan.
Rate of interest and repayment schedule:
Prevailing rate of interest shall be charged by the bank and the repayment schedule will be 5 years. MRB will keep the rate of interest as fixed for the complete loan term.
Quantum and Nature of Financial Assistance:
a) Down payment Support:
1. Total down payment will be 50% of the on-road cost of the vehicle.
Out of which, the Agriculture Department, Government of Meghalaya shall pay 90%.
And the remaining 10% shall be paid by the beneficiary.
b) EMI support:
2. To reduce the burden of the operational cost on the beneficiaries in the first two years of his business, the Agriculture Department, GoM will support the beneficiary by paying:
85% of the EMI in the first 6 months
45% of the EMI for 7-12 months
35% of the EMI for 13-24 months.
3. For the rest of the EMIs after 24 months, the beneficiary shall bear 100% of the EMI/month.
4. Overall, EMI support from the government is 20% of the total EMI to be paid.
5. The maximum support from the government shall be based on the value of the selected models mentioned above.
If the beneficiary selects a model which has a lower value than the selected model, support shall be 50% of the value of that model.
If the beneficiary selects a model which has a higher value than the selected model, the beneficiary shall bear the extra cost associated with it.
6. The vehicle shall be fitted with a GPS tracking device which will be included in the on-road price of the vehicle.

Eligibility Criteria:
> **Individual applicants:**


   1. Individuals who are permanent residents of Meghalaya and are above 18 years and below 58 years of age are eligible for the scheme.
   1. The applicant must have a valid commercial driving license before buying the vehicle from the dealer.
   1. The applicant must provide valid government ID proof with an address such as Aadhaar Card, Voter ID, and Passport, etc.
   1. The applicant should not be a defaulter at any financial institution.

> **Any registered farmer’s association:**


   1. Any association of farmers involved with agricultural products and legally registered with the government of Meghalaya such as Cooperatives, Farmer Producer Companies (FPC), Farmer Producer Organisation (FPO), etc. are eligible to apply for the scheme.
   1. The association of farmers must provide an Incorporation Certificate or a registration certificate whichever is applicable.
   1. The Association of farmers should not be a defaulter at any financial institution.