The Union Cabinet, which held its first meeting on Friday, decided to extend the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM Kisan) to all farmers in the country irrespective of their landholdings.
The ₹75,000-crore PM Kisan scheme, first announced in the Interim Budget on February 1, was meant only for small and marginal farmers. According to the scheme, poor farmers would be given a total of ₹6,000 annually, in three equal instalments. A total of 12.5 crore farmers, who constitute 86 per cent of the total farming community in the country, are eligible for the scheme.
“The government has now decided to remove the distinction between small and big farmers and extend the PM Kisan scheme to all farmers in the country,” said Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar, who briefed the media about cabinet decisions along with Prakash Javadekar, new Information and Broadcasting Minister, and Jitendra Singh, Minister of State in the PMO. According to Tomar, an additional 2 crore farmers will get the cash incentive with this.
So far, only 3.11 crore farmers have received the first instalment and the number of farmers who got the second instalment was further down to 2.66 crore. “Many State governments failed to submit the number of small and marginal farmers who were eligible for the scheme in the past. Now that it is opened up for all farmers, we hope the State governments will be able to submit the same,” Tomar said.
According to Tomar, the government has to cough up an additional financial resources of ₹12,000 crore, taking the total PM Kisan outgo to ₹87,000 crore.
Farmer pension scheme
The Cabinet also approved a farmer pension scheme, which is available only to small and marginal farmers. Farmers in the age group of 18 to 40 will be able to enrol for the pension scheme and draw a monthly pension of ₹3,000 upon attaining the age of 60. Depending on their age at the time of enrolment, farmers have to put in an amount between ₹55 to ₹200 per month and the government will contribute a matching amount, Tomar said. The scheme will cost the exchequer a total of ₹10,000 crore, he said.
Livestock vaccination
The Centre also decided to bear the expenses of vaccinating livestock against foot and mouth disease and brucellosis disease. This was shared till now on a 60:40 basis with the States.
The scheme, covering 30 crore bovines, 20 crore sheep and goats and 1 crore pigs, will cost an additional ₹13,000 crore, Javadekar said.