PM-KISAN Scheme

India is now seeking to achieve the ambitious goal of doubling farm income by 2022 through various action plans to be implemented over the period 2017-18 to 2019-20.

Some of these plans include -

• Focus on efficient irrigation - “Per Drop, More Crop”
• Promote quality seeds - Improve seed replacement rate
• Soil test based nutrient management - Distribution of soil health cards
• Reduce post-harvest crop losses - Large investments in warehousing and cold chains
• Promotion of value addition to farmers through food processing.
• Creation of a National Agricultural Market, removing distortions and promoting e-platform across agricultural markets.
• Promote organic farming as a key agricultural thrust through schemes like Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY) & Mission Organic Value Chain Development for North Eastern Region (MOVCDNER) which aim to promote the production and marketing of organic produce in the country.
• Help research use of genetically modified crops and their impact on Indian soil.
• Introduction of a New Crop Insurance Scheme to mitigate risks at affordable costs
• Promotion of ancillary activities like poultry, beekeeping and fisheries

Many agricultural schemes have been launched by the Ministry of Agriculture to ensure India’s agricultural productivity is increased and price and income volatility is reduced against the backdrop of increasing resource constraints. The main aim of these schemes is to tackle issues like shortages of water and land, deterioration in soil quality and climate change-induced temperature increases and rainfall variability.

The strategy of the Government is to focus on farmers’ welfare by turning farming into a viable activity. Farm viability is possible, when cost of cultivation is reduced, yield per unit of farm is increased and farmers get remunerative prices for their produce. The Government is now realigning its interventions to move from a production-centric to a farmer income-centric approach.

PM-KISAN Scheme

The fully centrally funded scheme called PM-KISAN was announced by the government in its interim budget for 2019-20 on February 1, 2019 on February 24, 2019 it was officially launched by transferring the first installment of Rs 2,000 each to 1.01 crore farmers.

• Under the scheme, each of the country’s nearly 12 crore small and marginal landholder farmer families will get Rs 6,000 per annum in three equal installments every four months in a financial year.