PM-KISAN could be the second Modi govt’s marquee scheme
Convinced that Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana or (PM-KISAN) has made some impact in assuaging farmers’ anger on account of falling prices, the Narendra Modi government is planning bigger things for the flagship programme.
The recent Cabinet decision to expand PM-KISAN to cover all farmers, irrespective of the size of land held by them, is just one of the several steps in the offing. Under the scheme, the Centre promises to give Rs 6,000 per year to all farmers in three equal installments.
Initially, only small and marginal farmers were to be covered, but this was later expanded to include an estimated 145 million farmers. Officials said that a database generated through the PM Kisan scheme could henceforth form the bedrock of all transfers that the Centre plans to make to farmers.
Gradually, over a period of time, there are plans to use the same to map the total amount of Central subsidy that each farmer avails — on seeds, farm machines and equipment, and even fertilizers. Perhaps, a reason why the Central government is pushing states hard to enroll maximum farmers in the shortest possible time. For Opposition-ruled states such as West Bengal, which haven’t join the scheme so far, the Centre is regularly sending communication through official channels urging it to join the scheme in the interest of farmers.
“We are getting calls from farmers asking us as to how they can join the scheme, but unless state government does the needful, we are helpless,” a senior agriculture ministry official said. Few days back, Congress-ruled Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan expressed their intention to participate in the scheme after dithering for months.
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