The Pradhan Mantri Krishi Samman Nidhi Yojana, also known as the PM-KISAN scheme, was initially known as Rythu Bandhu Scheme. The Telangana Government introduced it; in this project, a fixed amount of money was handed over to the farmers and their families to support their agricultural activities.
At first, this scheme was implemented in Telangana. Still, unlike the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Samman Nidhi Yojana, the capital was directly handed over to eligible farmers. After monitoring the results of this initiative, the Union Minister proposed a similar project to be implemented all over India during the 2019 interim Union Budget of India.
On February 24, the Prime Minister of India finally launched this project. This time it was renamed Pradhan Mantri Krishi Samman Nidhi Yojana. Initially, a small country section was selected to monitor the scheme’s impact. At first, the PM-KISAN was implemented in Gorakhpur and Uttar Pradesh. PM- Narendra Modi declared around 75,000 crores would be spent on this project.
What is the Purpose of the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Samman Nidhi Yojana?
Pradhan Mantri Krishi Samman Nidhi Yojana is a scheme introduced by the central government of India. As per the official declaration, this scheme is
government-sponsored. In simple terms, the whole expenditure of this project will be financed by the Central Government.
The main goal of the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Samman Nidhi Yojana is to provide a source of income to small and marginal farmers. With the help of this scheme, all eligible land-holding farmers and their families will get an extra source of income.
Implementing this scheme is expected to procure double the production quality of the farmers as the project aims to provide financial support to over 16.5 crore beneficiaries. The estimated expenditure for the beneficiaries is around 87,217.50 crores. And the central government promises to bear all the expenses of this project.
Mission and Vision of Pradhan Mantri Krishi Samman Nidhi Yojana
The sole mission of the PM-KISAN scheme is to provide financial support to the farmers, which will help them procure higher profit margins from their products. The financial backup from the government will also help them implement various new inputs.
Since agriculture constitutes a significant portion of India’s economy, thus it is the moral duty of the government to ensure that the farmers are looked after. Farmers from all over the country suffer from financial circuses. Therefore, the government launched this scheme to get a permanent solution to this problem.
The Central Government is determined this time to address the issue and find a solution to the social and economic concerns of the farmers. It is expected that with the launch of this project, the farming community in India will be able to witness some noticeable positive changes.
What are the Eligibility Criteria For Enrolling in Pradhan Mantri Krishi Samman Nidhi Yojana?
The eligibility criteria are the most crucial factor that helps this government scheme distinguish between those eligible to avail of this scheme and those not. Now let’s look at who all are entitled to the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Samman Nidhi Yojana.
● A farmer family with a substantial amount of cultivating land is eligible for enrolling in the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Samman Nidhi Yojana.
● Small field owners and marginal farmers are also eligible for this PM-KSNY scheme.
● It is mandatory for the beneficiary to be an Indian by birth to come under the flagship of this government program. In simple terms, the farmer should be an Indian citizen.
How can you become a part of the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Samman Nidhi Yojana?
Let us look at the process of applying for the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Samman Nidhi Yojana.
1. The eligible farmers for this scheme should contact the village patwaris, revenue officials or the designated officer in charge of this project. Once the orientation is over, the eligible farmer must submit the required documents.
2. The farmers can also visit their nearest Common Service Centres (CSCs) and apply for the registration procedure. Once the registration process is over, they must pay a fee for registering in the scheme.
3. Technology has taken over the world today, and you can even register for this scheme online. Farmers can get themselves self-registered by going to the PM KISAN portal. This portal is specially created for farmers as a convenient backup option.
4. Once the registration process is over, the farmers must undergo an identity verification process. This process requires documents like the Aadhaar card, voter’s ID card, Driving License, bank account number, mobile number and other essential documents. The man behind this process is to check the background of the beneficiaries.
What Are the Benefits of Pradhan Mantri Krishi Samman Nidhi Yojana?
The benefits of Pradhan Mantri Krishi Samman Nidhi Yojana are as follows.
1. The complete process is now digital, from registration to transferring the funds. Hence the administrative body maintains a digitalised form of records which helps easy access to the documents.
2. On December 25, 2020, the first digital transaction of funds occurred in the presence of the respectable Prime Minister Narendra Modi. A total of 18,000 crores was transferred directly to the farmers’ bank accounts.
3. Another significant advantage of the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Samman Nidhi Yojana scheme is that it reduces the aspect of liquidity constraints for the farmers. In simple terms, with the help of this scheme, farmers can borrow money from the market without alteration in the rate of interest for the borrowed money.
4. According to agricultural experts, the PM-KISAN is a massive step toward the future of the farming industry in India. It is perhaps one of the most significant initiatives taken by the government of India in modernising the agricultural sector.
5. The government has special ensured that no discrimination should occur against the farmers when they come under the PM-KISAN Yojana. The main goal of this project is to provide similar opportunities to everyone coming under this scheme.
The Salient Features of Pradhan Mantri Krishi Samman Nidhi Yojana?
The main features of the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Samman Nidhi Yojana are as follows.
1. The best feature of this project is that it aims to provide income support to the farms working in the field. We often hear that the farmers have committed suicide as they could not clear their debts. But with this
scheme’s help, the farmers can get financial security.
2. According to PM-KISAN Yojana, each of the farmers, enrolled in this project is entitled to receive the amount of six thousand annually across India. However, the amount is usually given in three instalments to the farmers. Thus it ensures that farmers receive two thousand rupees every four months.
3. The funding for this scheme comes from the government; as mentioned earlier, it is a government-sponsored scheme. Therefore, the total budget comes from the government. As per the latest announcements, the government is willing to spend 75000 corers yearly on this project.
4. In the latest reports of august 2020, 17,000 corers were directly transferred into the bank account of the beneficiaries in instalments. The money was shared with Direct Benefit Transfer.
5. The responsibility of identifying the needy farmers and proving the benefits of this scheme is given to the union and state governments. As per the rules, these governments must recognise the farmers and help them avail themselves of this scheme’s benefits.
How can we Spread Awareness Regarding Pradhan Mantri Krishi Samman Nidhi Yojana?
To make people aware of what’s happening, the government takes initiatives from time to time. Similarly, to make people aware of the government’s newly launched schemes, it needs to take adequate measures that will help the government to make this scheme successful.
1. When it comes to communicating with the masses, there is nothing better than taking the help of mass media. Because it acts as an effective communication medium between the sender and receiver, mass media can be a great option.
2. Traditional forms of entertainment like television and radio are prevalent among rural villagers. Hence extensive use of these two mediums can help the government spread awareness among the people regarding this scheme.
3. Door-to-door campaigns are also a great way to spread awareness in rural areas. The government bodies of each state and union territory can appoint NGOs to work on behalf of the government and spread awareness among the poor farmers.
4. Social media platforms are also an excellent option for bringing people together. The availability of affordable internet plans and smartphones at cheap rates helped the growth of social media platforms in India. Thus it can be a great option to promote various government schemes to spread awareness.
5. Last but not least, the government should take up programs to train the farmers on how to use modern cultivation techniques, yielding higher results with minimal damage. This way, the farmers will develop current irrigation skills to increase production.
Conclusion
The Pradhan Mantri Krishi Samman Nidhi Yojana aims to irradiate all kinds of social evils from the framing community and provide them with a better standard of living. The government is determined to reduce the rate of farmers’ suicide because of low revenue generation and unpaid debts. With the help of financial support to the farmers, the situation will get better with time.
The government also tends to modernise the farming sector so that rural farmers can earn more incentives with the help of a higher production rate. The growth in their income will directly affect their standard of living and agriculture.