(a) whether the Government proposes to provide relief/rehabilitation package to the farmers facing hardship due to agrarian crisis in various regions of the country including Vidarbha;
(b) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor; and
(c) the other corrective measures taken by the Government to mitigate the problem being faced by the farmers in the country?
MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FOOD PROCESSING INDUSTRIES (DR. SANJEEV KUMAR BALYAN)
(a) & (b): No, Madam. Government of India has implemented a rehabilitation package of Rs. 19998.85 crore for 31 suicide prone districts in four States including Vidarbha region of Maharashtra. The implementation of this rehabilitation package began in September 2006 and ended in November 2011.
(c): A number of Centrally Sponsored Schemes are under implementation in Maharashtra including Vidarbha Region. A specific scheme for Vidarbha region under implementation is Vidarbha Intensified Irrigation Development Programme (VIIDP) since 2012-13 in 11 districts of Vidarbha region of Maharashtra with a total allocation of Rs.3250 crore from 2012-13 to 2016-17. The allocation for the year 2014-15 is Rs.150 crore.
Various programmes/schemes for the development of agriculture sector are being implemented in a decentralized manner with flexibility to State Governments to formulate and implement appropriate projects to suit their specific requirements. The focus of Government is primarily to increase farm income, creation of non-farm income opportunities, improvement in productivity of rainfed agriculture, increasing coverage of farming areas under protective irrigation and establishing appropriate backward and forward linkages.
Other measures taken by the Government for the benefit of farmers include enhancement in minimum support prices of agricultural commodities, increase in institutional credit flow to agriculture and allied sector, post-harvest loan for six months to eliminate distress sale of agriculture produce by farmers, debt waiver/relief, interest subvention on crop loans, revival package for strengthening Short Term Rural Cooperative Credit Structure, etc.