Here we are going to talk about different Government Schemes for Welfare of Farmers initiated by Government of India

Government Schemes for Welfare of Farmers

India is a country where more than 70% of its population directly or indirectly working in agriculture related work. Since Independence, Welfare of farmers has been the top priority of Government of India. And so, different schemes have been launched by Indian Government to revive agriculture sector and to improve the economic conditions of farmers.

These agricultural schemes are very beneficial for the farmers as they have framed keeping the need of the hour and the requirement of the agriculture sector. Thus, the knowledge of these schemes is important to receive these benefits. Here in this article we have described of the most useful and popular government schemes for farmers in India.

Important government schemes for farmers and agriculture sector

Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana
Pradhan Mantri Kisan Maandhan yojana
Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY)
Kisan Credit Card (KCC) scheme
Pashu Kisan Credit Card Scheme
Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY)
Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana (PMKSY)
National Agriculture Market (e-NAM)
Dairy Entrepreneurship Development Scheme
Rainfed Area Development Programme (RADP)
Soil Health Card Scheme
National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA)

PM-Kisan Scheme

Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana is an initiative of the Government of India with 100% central sponsored scheme. As per this scheme aprox 120 million small and marginal farmers of India with less than two hectares of landholding will get up to Rs. 6,000/- per year in three installment of Rs. 2,000/- as a minimum income support. PM-Kisan scheme or PM Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana has become operational since 1st December 2018.

For more detailed information visit: www.pmkisan.gov.in/

Pradhan Mantri Kisan Maandhan yojana

Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a pension scheme for welfare of all small & marginal farmers. Under this scheme about 5 crore marginalised farmers will get a minimum monthly pension of up to Rs.3000/- on attaining the age of 60. All those farmers who fall in the age group of 18 - 40 years are eligible to apply for the scheme. As per this scheme, the farmers will be required to make a monthly contribution of Rs 55 to 200, depending on their age of entry in the Pension Fund till they reach the retirement date i.e. 60 years. As per the Scheme, Government will make an equal contribution of the same amount in the pension fund for the cultivators.

For detailed information on Pradhan Mantri Kisan Maandhan Yojana visit: pmkmy.gov.in/

Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY)

Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana is an actuarial premium based scheme for their crops. As per the scheme farmer has to pay maximum premium of 2 percent for Kharif, 1.5 percent for Rabi food & oilseed crops and 5 percent for annual commercial or horticultural crops and the remaining part of the actuarial or bidded premium is equally shared by the Central & State Government. An important purpose of the scheme is to facilitate quick claims and hassle free settlement.

For more detailed information on Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) visit: pmfby.gov.in/

Kisan Credit Card (KCC) scheme

Kisan Credit Card scheme is another important Government scheme for the welfare of farmers that provides farmers with timely access to credit for their harvest. Initially Kisan Credit Card scheme was introduced in the year 1998 to provide short-term formal credit to the farmers. KCC scheme was launched to ensure that the credit requirements for cultivators in agriculture sector, fisheries & animal husbandry sector were being met. Under this scheme, farmers are given short-term loans for purchasing equipment and other expenses as well on a very nominal rate of interest. Most of the Banks like SBI, HDFC, ICICI, Axis are offering KCC.

Pashu Kisan Credit Card Scheme

For the growth and development of animal husbandry sector in India, Government of India has launched ‘Pashu Kisan Credit Card’ for livestock farmers. Haryana is the first state in the country to provide Pashu Kisan Credit Card to their farmers. Under this scheme, farmers are given loan to buy cow, buffalo, goat etc and the loan can be obtained from the nearest Bank.

Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY)

To promote organic cultivation in India Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana is implemented by the Government. This will improve soil health as well as organic matter content and will boost the net income of the farmer so as to realize premium prices.

Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana (PMKSY)

Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana was launched on 1 July 2015 to achieve the aim ‘Har Khet Ko Paani’ and to provide end-to end solutions in irrigation supply chain, viz. water sources, distribution network & farm level applications. PMKSY focuses on creating sources for assured irrigation. This also aims to create protective irrigation by harnessing rain water at micro level through ‘Jal Sanchay’ and ‘Jal Sinchan’. Below are some important components of this scheme;

Components of Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana:

Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme - implemented by Ministry of Water Resources, RD & GR.
PMKSY (Har Khet ko Pani) - implemented by Ministry of Water Resources, RD & GR
PMKSY (Watershed) - implemented by Department of Land Resources.
PMKSY(Per Drop More Crop - PDMC)

National Agriculture Market (e-NAM)

To support creation of infrastructure to enable e-marketing, National Agriculture Market gives an e-marketing platform at the national level. This new market process is revolutionizing agriculture markets and guaranteeing better price discovery. It also brings transparency in the systeme and competition to enable cultivators to get improved remuneration for their produce moving towards ‘One Nation One Market’. 

Dairy Entrepreneurship Development Scheme

In the year 2005-06, Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying & Fisheries (DAHD&F) Government of India launched a pilot scheme called as “Venture Capital Scheme for Dairy & Poultry”. This scheme aimed at extending support for setting up small dairy farms and other components to bring structural changes in this sector. Later on, DAHD&F changed its name to 'Dairy Entrepreneurship Development Scheme' (DEDS). After this the revised scheme came into operation with effect from 1st September, 2010.

Rainfed Area Development Programme (RADP)

Rainfed Area Development Programme was started as a sub-scheme of Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY). The aim of this scheme was to improve quality of life of farmers’ especially, small and marginal farmers. This scheme focuses to provide a complete package of activities to maximize farm returns. It also help in increasing agricultural productivity of rainfed areas in a sustainable way. This can be achieved by adopting suitable farming system based approaches. It minimizes the adverse impact of possible crop failure due to drought, flood or un-even rainfall distribution by diversified & composite farming system.

Soil Health Card Scheme

Soil health card scheme was launched in the year 2015. The scheme aims to help the State Governments to issue Soil Health Cards to farmers of India.  The Soil Health Cards gives information to farmers on nutrient status of their soil. This also provides recommendation on appropriate dosage of nutrients to be applied for improving soil health and its fertility.

For more detailed information on Soil Health Card Scheme Visit: soilhealth.dac.gov.in/

National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA)

National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture is one of the eight Missions under the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC). It is aimed to promote Sustainable Agriculture via climate change adaptation measures, boosting agriculture productivity especially in Rainfed areas. It is also aiming to focus on integrated farming, soil health management & synergizing resource conservation. The Schemes under NMSA are as under:

Rainfed Area Development (RAD) - implemented by RFS Division.
Sub Mission on Agro Forestry (SMAF) - implemented by NRM Division
Soil Health Management (SHM) - implemented by INM Division
Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY) - implemented by INM Division
National Rainfed Area Authority (NRAA) - implemented by RFS Division
Soil and Land Use Survey of India (SLUSI) - implemented by RFS Division
National Centre of Organic Farming (NCOF) - implemented by INM Division
Mission Organic Value Chain Development in North Eastern Region (MOVCDNER) - implemented by INM Division