Empowering India's farmers: List of welfare schemes for farmers in India

Empowering India’s farmers: List of welfare schemes for farmers in India

Agriculture forms the bedrock of India’s economy, with millions of farmers toiling tirelessly to feed the nation and sustain rural livelihoods. Recognizing the pivotal role of farmers in national development, the government of India has embarked on a mission to uplift the agricultural sector and improve the well-being of farmers across the country. Through a series of well-designed schemes and initiatives, the government aims to address the multifaceted challenges faced by farmers and ensure their socio-economic empowerment.

The schemes for the welfare of farmers introduced by the Government of India encompass a wide array of areas, ranging from financial assistance and crop insurance to soil health management and marketing reforms. These initiatives are meticulously crafted to cater to the diverse needs of farmers and promote sustainable agricultural practices. By providing support at every stage of the farming cycle, from cultivation to marketing, the government endeavours to enhance agricultural productivity, increase farm incomes, and mitigate rural distress.

Schemes for welfare of farmers

Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN)

• PM-KISAN was launched on February 24, 2019, to support landholding farmers’ financial needs.
• Provides Rs 6000 per year in three equal four-monthly instalments via Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT).
• Aims to supplement income for farmers’ families nationwide.
• Over Rs 2.81 lakh crores transferred through DBT to over 11 crores beneficiaries.
• Facilitates financial assistance directly into farmers’ bank accounts.
• Helps enhance farmers’ financial stability and livelihoods.

Pradhan Mantri Kisan MaanDhan Yojana (PM-KMY)

• PMKMY launched on September 12, 2019, to provide security to vulnerable farmer families.
• Contributory scheme for small and marginal farmers (SMFs) aged 18 to 40.
• Members pay monthly subscriptions to the Pension Fund, matched by the Central Government.
• Monthly contributions range from Rs 55 to Rs 200 until age 60.
• Provides Rs 3,000 monthly pension to enrolled farmers at age 60.
• Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) manages the pension fund.
• Registration done through CSC and State Governments.
• Over 23.38 lakh farmers enrolled in the scheme so far.

Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY)

• PMFBY launched in 2016 for comprehensive crop insurance against non-preventable natural risks.
• Aims to provide simple and affordable crop insurance to farmers.
• Covers risks from pre-sowing to post-harvest.
• Available for all farmers and demand-driven.
• 5549.40 lakh farmer applications insured since 2016-17.
• Rs 150589.10 crore paid as claims under PMFBY.

Modified Interest Subvention Scheme (MISS) provides concessional short-term agri-loans

• Available to farmers for crop husbandry, animal husbandry, dairying, and fisheries.
• Short-term crop loans up to Rs 3 lakh at 7% interest per annum.
• Additional 3% subvention for prompt loan repayment, reducing effective interest to 4%.
• Benefit extended to post-harvest loans against Negotiable Warehouse Receipts (NWRs).
• Available for small and marginal farmers with Kisan Credit Cards (KCCs) during natural calamities.
• As of January 5, 2024, 465.42 lakh new KCC applications were sanctioned with Rs 5,69,974 crore credit limit.

Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF)

• Agri Infra Fund launched under Atmanirbhar Bharat Package to address infrastructure gaps in agriculture.
• Aims to transform the agricultural infrastructure landscape.
• Provides medium to long-term debt financing for post-harvest management and community farming assets.
• Fund of Rs 1 lakh crore disbursed from FY 2020-21 to FY 2025-26.
• Support provided until FY 2032-33.
• Banks and financial institutions provide Rs 1 lakh crore as loans with 3% interest subvention.
• Credit guarantee coverage under CGTMSE for loans up to Rs 2 crores.
• Each entity is eligible for up to 25 projects in different LGD codes.
• Eligible beneficiaries include farmers, agri-entrepreneurs, start-ups, and various agricultural organisations.
• As of December 31, 2023, Rs 33.209 crores sanctioned for 44,912 projects under AIF.
• Total sanctioned amount of Rs 25,504 crores covered under scheme benefits.
• Sanctioned projects mobilised an investment of Rs 56.471 crores in the agriculture sector.

Formation and promotion of new 10,000 FPOs

• Central Sector Scheme (CSS) for “Formation and Promotion of 10,000 Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs)” launched by Government of India in 2020.
• Total budgetary outlay of Rs 6865 crores.
• FPOs formed and promoted through Implementing Agencies (IAs) and Cluster Based Business Organizations (CBBOs).
• FPOs receive financial assistance up to Rs 18 lakh per FPO for 3 years.
• Matching equity grant up to Rs 2,000 per farmer member with a limit of Rs. 15.00 lakh per FPO.
• Credit guarantee facility up to Rs 2 crore of project loan per FPO from eligible lending institutions.
• Provision for training and skill development of FPOs.
• FPOs onboarded on National Agriculture Market (e-NAM) platform for online trading.
• Facilitates transparent price discovery for better remunerative prices.
• As of December 31, 2023, a total of 7,774 FPOs registered under the scheme in the country.

National Beekeeping and Honey Mission (NBHM)

Recognizing the significance of beekeeping, the Government introduced a new Central Sector Scheme named the National Beekeeping & Honey Mission (NBHM) in 2020 as part of the Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan. The scheme aims to promote and advance scientific beekeeping to realise the objective of a “Sweet Revolution.” Here are some of the achievements:

• Honey bees and beekeeping have been recognized as the fifth input for agriculture.
• Approval has been granted for the establishment of four world-class, state-of-the-art honey testing laboratories and 35 mini honey testing laboratories under the National Beekeeping & Honey Mission (NBHM) for the testing of honey.
• The launch of the Madhukranti portal enables online registration for beekeepers, honey societies, firms, and companies.
• To date, 23 lakh bee colonies have been registered on the portal.
• As part of the 10,000 FPOs scheme, 100 Honey FPOs are targeted across the country.
• NAFED, NDDB, and TRIFED have registered 88 FPOs.
• A total of 25 States/UTs are covered under NBHM under MM-I, II & III.
• Under MM- I, II & III, 160 projects have been sanctioned with a total funding of Rs 202 crores.

Market Intervention Scheme and Price support Scheme (MIS-PSS)

• The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare oversees the implementation of the Price Support Scheme (PSS) for purchasing pulses, oilseeds, and copra.
• The Market Intervention Scheme (MIS) is implemented for acquiring perishable agricultural and horticultural commodities not covered by the PSS.
• The intervention aims to safeguard growers from distress sales during periods of oversupply, preventing prices from plummeting below economic viability and production costs.

Namo Drone Didi

• A Central Sector Scheme has been approved by the Government for providing drones to Women Self Help Groups (SHGs) from 2024-25 to 2025-26 with a budget of Rs 1,261 Crores.
• The scheme aims to equip 15,000 selected Women SHGs with drones to offer rental services to farmers for agricultural purposes, such as applying fertilisers and pesticides.
• Women SHGs will receive Central Financial Assistance covering 80% of the drone and accessory costs, up to a maximum of Rs 8 lakh per group.
• Cluster Level Federations (CLFs) of SHGs can secure the remaining amount as a loan under the National Agriculture Infra Financing Facility (AIF), with interest subvention at 3%.
• The scheme intends to provide sustainable business and livelihood support to SHGs, enabling them to earn an additional income of at least Rs 1 lakh per annum.

Rastriya Krishi Vikas Yojana

• The scheme targets the development of pre- and post-harvest infrastructure in agriculture and allied sectors, facilitating the supply of quality inputs and market facilities to farmers.
• It grants states the flexibility and autonomy to execute projects tailored to local farmers’ needs and priorities from a range of activities in agriculture and allied sectors.
• The goal is to bridge resource gaps in agriculture and allied sectors by providing financial assistance to states for various activities aimed at boosting overall growth and farmers’ income.
• Since 2019-20, the RKVY Agri-startup Programme has selected 1,524 startups, with Rs 106.25 crore released as grants-in-aid to fund these startups.

Soil Health Card (SHC)

• Soil health cards provide farmers with information about the nutrient status of their soil and recommendations on appropriate nutrient dosages to improve soil health and fertility.
• Indicators on the card are typically based on farmers’ practical experience and local natural resources knowledge.
• The card lists soil health indicators that can be assessed without technical or laboratory equipment.
• The scheme implements a decentralised soil testing system to develop a nationwide soil fertility map on a GIS platform, integrated with real-time decision support systems.
• The Government of India plans to conduct 5 crore soil samples across the country from 2023-24 to 2025-26 to develop the soil fertility map.

Rainfed Area Development (RAD)

• RAD, implemented since 2014-15, adopts an area-based cluster approach for promoting Integrated Farming System (IFS).
• IFS focuses on multi-cropping, rotational cropping, inter-cropping, and mixed cropping practices along with allied activities like horticulture, livestock, fishery, and apiculture.
• The aim is to maximise farm returns for sustaining livelihood and mitigate the impacts of drought, flood, or other extreme weather events.
• An amount of Rs 1673.58 crores has been released for RAD, covering an area of 7.13 lakh hectares from 2014-15 to date.

Per Drop More Crop (PDMC)

• The Per Drop More Crop (PDMC) scheme, launched in 2015-16, aims to increase water use efficiency at the farm level through Micro Irrigation technologies like drip and sprinkler irrigation systems.
• Micro irrigation helps in water saving, reduces fertiliser usage through fertigation, lowers labour expenses, and enhances overall income for farmers.
• The scheme also supports micro-level water harvesting, storage, and management activities as Other Interventions (OI) to supplement source creation for micro irrigation.
• Other Interventions (OI) activities are allowed on a need basis, up to 40% of the total allocation for North East States, Himalayan States, Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, and up to 20% for other States.
• As of 2022-23, an area of 78 lakh hectares has been covered under Micro irrigation through the PDMC scheme since its inception in 2015-16.

Micro Irrigation Fund (MIF)

• A Micro Irrigation Fund (MIF) with an initial corpus of Rs 5,000 crore was established in partnership with NABARD to aid states in expanding micro irrigation coverage.
• NABARD lends to States/UTs at a 3% lower interest rate than its market rate, facilitating affordable financing for micro irrigation projects.
• The Centre bears the interest subvention on MIF loans under the Per Drop More Crop (PDMC) scheme.
• Approved projects under MIF amount to Rs 4,710.96 crore, with disbursements totaling Rs 2,812.24 crore to states like Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Punjab, Haryana, and Rajasthan.
• The Ministry aims to double the fund’s corpus to Rs 10,000 crores, as announced in the 2021-22 budget.
• MIF has been integrated into the PDMC scheme.

Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY)

• Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY) promotes organic farming practices to enhance soil fertility and produce healthy food without agro-chemicals.
• Implemented in clusters of 20 hectares, each group consists of a minimum of 20 farmers, with each farmer eligible for a maximum of 2 hectares under PKVY.
• Clusters are consolidated into larger units of about 500 hectares to facilitate organic produce marketing.
• States receive assistance of Rs 31,500 per hectare under PKVY, with Rs 15,000 directly transferred to farmers as incentives through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT).

Sub-Mission on Agriculture Mechanization (SMAM)

• The Sub Mission on Agricultural Mechanization (SMAM) began in April 2014 to accelerate agricultural mechanisation in India.
• Objectives include extending farm mechanisation to small and marginal farmers and regions with low farm power availability.
• It promotes Custom Hiring Centres to counter the challenges of small landholdings and high equipment costs.
• SMAM establishes hubs for high-tech, high-value farm equipment and conducts awareness programs and capacity building activities.
• Additionally, it ensures performance testing and certification at designated centres nationwide.
• Over Rs 6,748.78 crore has been released to state governments under SMAM.
• More than 15,75,719 agricultural machinery and equipment, including tractors and power tillers, have been distributed.
• The initiative has established 23,472 custom hiring centres, 504 hi-tech hubs, and 20,597 farm machinery banks.

Crop Residue Management

• Crop Residue Management (CRM) initiative began in 2018-19 in Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Delhi.
• Its objectives include curbing air pollution and preserving soil nutrients by discouraging crop residue burning.
• CRM promotes in-situ management of crop residue and plans to establish Farm Machinery Banks for custom hiring of relevant machinery.
• It focuses on raising awareness through demonstrations, capacity building, and tailored communication strategies.
• Over Rs 3333.17 crore has been disbursed under CRM, facilitating the distribution of more than 2,95,845 CRM machinery.
• CRM has now been integrated into the Sub Mission on Agricultural Mechanization (SMAM).

Agro-forestry

• Agro-forestry was initiated based on the National Agro-forestry Policy 2014.
• Restructured under RKVY to offer Quality Planting Materials (QPM) and certification.
• Aims to encourage tree plantation on farmlands, enhancing farmers’ livelihoods.

National Food Security Mission (NFSM)

• Mission aims to increase production of rice, wheat, pulses, and cereals sustainably in identified districts.
• Objectives include restoring soil fertility, enhancing farm-level economy, and adding value at farm gate.
• Government proactively engages stakeholders to promote millets globally since the declaration of IYM 2023.
• 25 seed-hubs ensure availability of quality seed of improved varieties of Nutri cereals.
• Millet missions launched in 13 states, fostering the establishment of over 500 start-ups and 350 FPOs.

Sub-Mission on Seed and Planting Material (SMSP)

• SMSP encompasses the entire seed production chain, from nucleus seed to certified seeds for farmers.
• Aims to develop infrastructure and support public seed-producing organisations to enhance seed quality.
• Establishes dedicated seed banks to address natural calamities.
• Launched the first phase of the SATHI portal on April 19, 2023, for monitoring and transparency.
• SMSP merged with NFSM for streamlined management and implementation.

National Mission on Edible Oils (NMEO)-Oil Palm

• NMEO-Oil Palm (NMEO-OP) launched in 2021 to promote oil palm cultivation.
• Aims to make India self-reliant in edible oils, with a focus on North-Eastern States and Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
• Plans to add 6.5 lakh hectares under oil palm plantation in the next 5 years.
• Targets 3.28 lakh hectares in North-Eastern states and 3.22 lakh hectares in the rest of India.

Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH)

• MIDH initiated in 2014-15 for holistic horticulture sector growth.
• Covers diverse crops like fruits, vegetables, spices, flowers, etc.
• Components: plantation infrastructure, new orchards, old orchard rejuvenation, protected cultivation, organic farming, beekeeping for pollination, mechanisation, post-harvest management, marketing infrastructure.
• Additional 12.95 lakh hectares of horticulture crops covered since inception.
• 872 nurseries established for quality planting material.
• Rejuvenated 1.41 lakh hectares of old orchards.
• 52,069 hectares under organic practices and 3.07 lakh hectares under protected cultivation as of 2023-24.

National Bamboo Mission (NBM)

• Implemented in 23 States and 1 UT (J&K) through SBMs/SBDAs.
• Focuses on the complete value chain development of the bamboo sector.
• Aims to link growers with consumers using a cluster approach.
• Achievements include: 367 bamboo nurseries established, 212 accredited by State Level Accreditation Committees, 46,000 hectare bamboo plantations on non-forest Govt. and private lands, establishment of 81 units for bamboo primary processing, 416 units for value addition and product development, and capacity building for 15,000 persons including farmers, artisans, and entrepreneurs.
• NBM now merged with MIDH.

Integrated Scheme for Agriculture Marketing (ISAM)

• ISAM supports state governments in governing agricultural produce marketing through market structure creation, capacity building, and market information access.
• e-NAM, part of ISAM since 2017-18, is a pan-India electronic trading portal.
• e-NAM networks existing APMC mandis to create a unified national market for agricultural commodities.
• Integrated 1389 mandis of 23 States and 04 UTs to the e-NAM platform.
• Over 1.76 crore farmers and 2.5 lakh traders registered on the e-NAM portal.

Mission Organic Value Chain Development for North Eastern Region

• MOVCDNER aims to develop commodity-specific, certified organic production clusters.
• It links growers with consumers and supports the entire value chain in the northeast region.
• Since 2015-16, Rs 1035.17 crore has been released for the initiative.
• It has created 379 FPO/FPCs covering 189039 farmers.
• It covers an area of 172966 hectares.

Sub-Mission on Agriculture Extension (SMAE)

The objective of the scheme is to transform the extension system to be farmer-driven and farmer-accountable by providing technology to farmers through new institutional setups such as the Agricultural Technology Management Agency (ATMA) at the district level, enabling participatory extension reforms. Digital initiatives in agricultural extension encompass:

• VISTAAR, known as Virtually Integrated Systems To Access Agricultural Resources, is under development as a DPI for agricultural extension.
• Apurva AI functions as a platform for capturing farmer innovations, facilitating peer-to-peer learning, and providing content for advisory retrieval via VISTAAR Bot. It also conducts impact assessments of schemes, with the AIF project already completed.
• Wadhwani-Krishi 24X7 is designed for real-time news monitoring, Tamil language support, and image-based identification of cotton pests, to be integrated with FLEW and farmer profile mapping.
• The Kisan Call Centre is being integrated with VISTAAR and other IT applications, as well as with Kisan Sarathi (ICAR), enabling direct communication with agricultural experts.
• RAWE involves the integration of agricultural students for interactive sessions through the VISTAAR bot and feedback system.
• IMD’s weather forecast data is integrated through DAMU, and advisory services are delivered through VISTAAR.
• NRLM focuses on decentralised extension mechanisms such as Krishi Sakhi, Pashu Sakhi, Matsya Sakhi, alongside capacity building for digital extension through VISTAAR.

Digital agriculture

The objective of the scheme is to enhance the current National e-Governance Plan in Agriculture (NeGPA) by establishing a digital public infrastructure for agriculture. This infrastructure will be constructed as an open source, open standard, and interoperable public resource. Its purpose is to facilitate inclusive and farmer-centric solutions by providing access to pertinent information services for crop planning and health, improved availability of farm inputs, credit, and insurance, assistance with crop estimation, market intelligence, and fostering the growth of the Agri Tech industry and start-ups.

AgriStack architecture has the following foundational layers:

• Core registries
• Base databases
• Farmers Database: Farmers ID linked with land records
• Geo-referencing of plots
• Crop survey and crop planning
• Soil mapping and soil fertility
• Unified Farmers Service Interface for state, private players
• Data exchange

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