India 2018

50 India 2018
livestock, fisheries, and bio-resources; support services and inputs like
application of frontier technologies; agricultural bio-security systems; supply
of good quality seeds and disease-free planting material, improving soil fertility
and health, and integrated pest management systems; support services for
women like crèches, child care centres, nutrition, health and training; timely,
adequate, and easy reach of institutional credit at reasonable interest rates, and
farmer-friendly insurance instruments; use of Information and Communication
Technology (ICT) and setting up of farmers' schools to revitalize agricultural
extension; effective implementation of MSP across the country, development of
agricultural market infrastructure, and rural non-farm employment initiatives
for farm households; integrated approach for rural energy, etc.
Major Programmes
Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY)
The scheme was approved with an outlay of ` 50,000 crore for a period of 5
years (2015-16 to 2019-20). The major objective of PMKSY is to achieve
convergence of investments in irrigation at the field level, expand cultivable
area under assured irrigation, improve on-farm water use efficiency to reduce
wastage of water, enhance the adoption of precision irrigation and other water
saving technologies (More crop per drop), promote sustainable water
conservation practices, etc. The mission is administered by Ministry of Water
Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation.
Agriculture Credit
Government announces annual target for agriculture credit in the budget every
year. Agricultural credit flow has shown consistent progress every year.
Agriculture credit of ` 711,621 crore was provided to the farmers against target
of ` 7,00,000 crore in 2013-14. In 2014-15, agriculture credit flow was ` 845,328.23
crore against the target of ` 8,00,000 crore. Target for the year 2015-16 was fixed
at ` 850,000 crore and achievement is ` 877,224 crore. The Target for the year
2016-17 has been fixed at ` 9,00,000 crore and a sum of ` 755,995.17 crore has
been disbursed as agriculture credit during April-September, 2016.
Kisan Credit Card
The Kisan Credit Card Scheme is in operation throughout the country and is
implemented by commercial banks, cooperative banks and Regional Rural Banks
(RRB). The scheme has facilitated in augmenting credit flow for agricultural
activities. The scope of the KCC has been broad-based to include term credit
and consumption needs. The KCC scheme has since been simplified and
converted into ATM enabled debit card with, inter-alia, facilities of one-time
documentation, builtin cost escalation in the limit, any number of drawals within
the limit, etc. which eliminates the need for disbursement through camps and
mitigates the vulnerability of farmers to middlemen.
Crop Insurance
In order to protect farmers against crop failure due to natural calamities, pests
and diseases, weather conditions, Government of India introduced the National