MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
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(a) & (b): Government has taken adequate measures to ensure fair price of their produce to the farmers in the country. All required exemptions were given in agricultural sector during the lockdown period. In view of lockdown due to COVID-19 pandemic on the farmers and agriculture Sector, the following measures were also taken by Government:-
(i) Government announced the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana under which financial benefits under PM-KISAN Scheme were released to more than 8.7 crore beneficiaries during the beginning of the 1st4-monthly period April-July, 2020 in the financial year 2020-21.
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(ii) The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Ordinance, 2020 was promulgated on 5th June, 2020 which provides for a national framework on farming agreements that protects and empowers farmers to engage with agri business firms, processers, aggregators, wholesalers, large retailers and exporters etc. for farm services and sale of future farming produce at a mutually agreed remunerative price framework in a fair and transparent manner.
(iii) The Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Ordinance, 2020 was promulgated on 5th June, 2020 which provides for creation of an ecosystem where the farmers and traders enjoy the freedom of choice relating to sale and purchase of farmers’ produce which facilitates remunerative prices through competitive alternative trading channels; to promote efficient, transparent and barrier-free inter-State and intra-State trade and commerce of farmers’ produce outside the physical premises of markets or deemed markets notified under various State agricultural produce market legislation and to provide a facilitative framework for electronic trading.
(iv) An Agriculture Infrastructure Fund has been set-up which provides medium - long term debt financing facility for investment in viable projects for post-harvest management infrastructure and community farming assets through interest subvention and financial support.
(v) Government has approved a new Central Sector Scheme titled "Formation and Promotion of Farmer Produce Organizations (FPOs)" to form and promote 10,000 new FPOs with a total budgetary provision of Rs. 4496.00 crore for five years (2019-20 to 2023-24) with a further committed liability of Rs. 2369.00 crore for period from 2024-25 to 2027-28 towards handholding of each FPO for five years from its aggregation and formation. Under the scheme, support to each FPO is continued for 5 years from its year of inception.
(c): The financial benefit under the PM-KISAN Scheme is released once in every four months period only. Accordingly, period-wise details of benefit released since 1st 4-monthly period of December, 2018-March, 2019 under the scheme and onwards is enclosed at Annexure-1.
(d): Government has already implemented the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Maan Dhan Yojana which provides a monthly pension of Rs. 3000/- to Small and Marginal Farmers across the country, owning upto 2 hectares of cultivable land and subject to certain exclusion criteria, when they reach 60 years of age. It is a voluntary and contribution based scheme, requiring the subscribing farmers to pay a monthly contribution of Rs. 55/- to Rs. 200/-, depending on the age of entry into the scheme. Central Government pays equal contribution for each farmer. On the death of the subscribing pensioner, the spouse is entitled to Rs. 1500/- monthly pension. As on 17.09.2020, 20,67,057 farmers have already joined the scheme.
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