Question : Use of Kisan Rath Mobile App

(a) the number of the farmers who have been connected with Kisan Rath Mobile App in the country till date and the details of benefits provided to them along with the details thereof, State-wise;

(b) the Minimum Support Price (MSP) on which pulses and oilseeds are procured from the farmers during Rabi Season, 2020 and the number of the farmers who have benefited from it in the country along with the details thereof, State-wise;

(c) the number of the farmers who have benefited from Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) till date and the details thereof, State-wise;

(d) whether the Government is running any scheme to control locusts; and

(e) if so, the details thereof, State-wise?

MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE

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(a): The Government of India has launched the Kisan Rath Mobile App on 17.04.2020 to address the issue of transportation of agricultural produce of farmers and other stakeholders. The App facilitates the farmers, FPOs and other stakeholders to post their load requests in the App, which are sent to transport aggregators and individual transporters who in turn respond to the load requests. Registration of farmers and other stakeholders on the Kisan Rath Mobile App is a continuous process. As on 18.09.2020, a total of 248309 farmers have self registered and a total of 7034 farmers have posted load requests on the App. State-wise details are at Annexure-I.

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(b): In order to provide remunerative price to the farmers, the Government of India is implementing Pradhan Mantri Annadata Aay SanraksHan Abhiyan (PM-AASHA), comprising of Price Support Scheme (PSS), Price Deficiency Payment Scheme (PDPS) and Private Procurement and Stockist Scheme (PPSS). Under PM-AASHA, States / UTs are offered to choose either of PSS or PDPS in a given procurement season, with respect to particular oilseeds crop for the entire State. The pulses and copra are procured under PSS. Further, States have the option to roll out Private Procurement and Stockist Scheme (PPSS) on pilot basis in district / selected APMC(s) of district involving the participation of private stockist for oilseeds. The details of procurement of pulses and oilseeds at MSP under PM-AASHA from the farmers during Rabi 2020 Season and the number of farmers benefitted from it, State-wise are, at Annexure-II.

(c): The number of farmers who have been benefitted under the PM-KISAN Scheme as on 15.09.2020 is 10,19,52,081 and the State-wise details are at Annexure-III.

(d) & (e): The Government of India is implementing a Sub Mission on Plant Protection and Plant Quarantine (SMPPQ) in which Locust Control and Research is a sub component. The Desert Locust is a trans-boundary pest which can cause irreparable damages. In order to keep the menace of locust at bay, Government of India has established Locust Warning Organization (LWO) and 10 Locust Circle Offices (LCOs) in India, i.e. 08 LCOs in Rajasthan (Jaisalmer, Bikaner, Phalodi, Barmer, Jalore, Churu, Nagaur, Suratgarh) and 02 LCOs in Gujarat (Palanpur and Bhuj), which primarily monitor, survey and control Desert Locust in Scheduled Desert Areas of Rajasthan and Gujarat in coordination with the State Governments. Further the LWO and LCOs are also involved in capacity building activities of State Government officials and farmers with regard to locust control. The State Governments through the District Administration and the State Agriculture Department undertake locust control activities in the cropped area of the State.