NEW DELHI, 23 September 2023: In a momentous event held recently, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar jointly unveiled a series of initiatives aimed at bolstering India's agricultural sector.
These initiatives are focused on agricultural credit, crop insurance, and leveraging technology for the benefit of farmers.
The Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare introduced three pivotal initiatives: the Kisan Rin Portal (KRP), KCC Ghar Ghar Abhiyaan, and a manual on Weather Information Network Data Systems (WINDS). These initiatives are expected to revolutionize Indian agriculture, promote financial inclusion, optimize data utilization, and ultimately improve the lives of farmers across the nation.
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, in her keynote address, extended her full support to banks for the successful implementation of the Ghar Ghar KCC Abhiyan.
She emphasized that the government, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has allocated substantial funds to the Kisan Credit Card (KCC) Scheme to ensure easy access to short-term loans for farmers.
The Finance Minister applauded the Ministry of Agriculture for its successful implementation of the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY), which has disbursed over 1.4 lakh crore rupees to farmers against a premium amount of INR 29,000 crore.
She also praised the real-time estimation of rice and wheat crop output and called for similar estimation for crops like Dalhan and Tilhan to facilitate better planning, including potential imports. Real-time crop estimation is expected to strengthen the economy and ensure fair prices for farmers at the end of the crop season.
Sitharaman also called for the full automation of regional rural banks and cooperative banks and directed the Department of Financial Services to study the gap between loan sanction and disbursement for these banks.
Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar emphasized the government's commitment to agriculture and the rural economy. He highlighted the significant increase in the budget for the Ministry of Agriculture, which has risen from INR 23,000 crore in 2013-14 to INR 1,25,000 crore in 2023-24.
Minister Tomar stressed the importance of real-time weather information, which is crucial for farmers to take timely precautions for their crops.
He reiterated that the use of technology and transparency is vital for the agriculture sector and noted the steps taken by the government in this regard. Tomar highlighted that around 9 crore beneficiaries are under the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi, and the KCC Ghar Ghar Abhiyaan aims to connect approximately 1.5 crore beneficiaries who are not yet part of the KCC scheme.
Tomar also expressed gratitude to the Ministry of Finance and banks for providing approximately 2 crore KCCs to farmers even during the COVID-19 pandemic. He emphasized that agriculture and the rural sector played a pivotal role in sustaining the economy during the pandemic.
The event featured a detailed presentation on the initiatives by Shri Ritesh Chauhan, Joint Secretary (Credit) and CEO of PMFBY. He highlighted the record enrollment in the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) this year, attributed to technological interventions.
The launch event was attended by Minister of State for Agriculture Sushri Shobha Karandlaje, Kailash Chaudhary, Secretary Agriculture Manoj Ahuja, Secretary DFS Shri Vivek Joshi, OSD (Credit) Ajit Kumar Sahu, CEO-PMFBY Ritesh Chauhan, Chairman NABARD Shaji KV, and numerous dignitaries from allied departments and the agricultural sector.
The unveiling of these initiatives exemplifies the Indian government's dedication to innovation and efficient service delivery in the agricultural sector, with the overarching goal of doubling farmers' income and promoting sustainable economic growth.
Background on Initiatives:
Kisan Rin Portal (KRP)
Developed collaboratively by the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, the Department of Financial Services, the Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying, the Department of Fisheries, RBI, and NABARD, the KRP is set to revolutionize access to credit services under the Kisan Credit Card (KCC). It will also assist farmers in availing subsidized agriculture credit through the Modified Interest Subvention Scheme (MISS). The KRP portal serves as an integrated hub, offering a comprehensive view of farmer data, loan disbursement specifics, interest subvention claims, and scheme utilization progress. By fostering seamless integration with banks, this pioneering portal enables proactive policy interventions, strategic guidance, and adaptive enhancements for more focused and efficient agriculture credit and optimum utilization of interest subvention.
Ghar-Ghar KCC Abhiyaan: Door to Door KCC Campaign
The event also marks the commencement of the "Ghar Ghar KCC Abhiyaan," which signifies the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare's commitment to universal financial inclusion, ensuring that every farmer has unhindered access to credit facilities that drive their agricultural pursuits. The campaign is scheduled to run from October 1, 2023, to December 31, 2023. The ministry has meticulously verified existing KCC account holders' data against the PM KISAN database, identifying account holders who match the PM KISAN database and those who, although PM KISAN beneficiaries, do not have KCC accounts. This campaign plays a pivotal role in reaching out to non-KCC account holder PM KISAN beneficiaries and fostering the saturation of KCC accounts among eligible PM Kisan beneficiary farmers.
Launch of WINDS Manual
The Weather Information Network Data Systems (WINDS) initiative aims to establish a network of Automatic Weather Stations & Rain Gauges at the taluk/block and gram panchayat levels. This initiative creates a robust database of hyper-local weather data, supporting various agricultural services. The comprehensive WINDS manual launched provides stakeholders with an in-depth understanding of the portal's functionalities, data interpretation, and effective utilization. It guides States and Union Territories in establishing and integrating with the WINDS platform, fostering transparent and objective data observation and transmission. It also offers practical insights into leveraging weather data for improved crop management, resource allocation, and risk mitigation.*
