In past four months of the ongoing Kharif season, interest-free short-term agricultural loans worth nearly Rs 2,242 crores have been distributed to around 8.53 lakh farmers by the Chhattisgarh Government in the State, officials stated.
Target of distributing nearly Rs 2650 crores in cash and kind, as short-term agricultural loan, has been set.
As on September 7, 2015, 67 per cent of this target has been achieved. loan distribution to farmers through primary cooperative societies has commenced from April 1, 2015, officials states
Notably, the Centre has also allocated Rs 4.29 crore during the current financial year to the Chhattisgarh Government for implementation of 'Sub Mission on Agricultural Mechanization' (SMAM) , officials stated.
The Department of Agriculture & Cooperation in the Union Agriculture Ministry is implementing a total of five Centrally-sponsored Schemes (CSS) namely: Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH), National Food Security Mission (NFSM), National Mission of Oilseeds and Oil Palm (NMOOP), National Mission on Agricultural Extension and Technology (NMAET), National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA); and Central Sector Schemes (CS) namely Integrated Scheme on Agriculture Marketing (ISAM), Integrated Scheme on Agriculture Cooperation (ISAC), Integrated Scheme on Agriculture Census, Economics & Statistics (ISACE&S), Secretariat Economic Services, National Crop Insurance Programme (NCIP); and one State Plan Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY).
All the above missions have now been regrouped under four main schemes namely: a) National Crop Insurance Programme (NCIP); b) Krishi Unnati Yojana; c) Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY); and d) Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana (PMKSY) to ensure growth in agriculture sector and for the betterment of farmers.
The Department of Agriculture & Cooperation (DAC) is providing financial support to the States for agricultural development through the above schemes as per the approved Annual Action Plans of the States, officials stated.
Further, through these schemes/ missions, resources in different forms, like quality seeds; farm machineries, such as, self propelled paddy transplanter, chiseller, rotavator, laser land leveler, plant protection equipment (manual/power sprayer), chaff cutter, sprinkler/pump set, seed treating drum, seed drill/zero till, multi crop planter/ridge furrow planter/raised bed planter, groundnut digger, power weeder, water carrying pipes, mobile rain gun, multi crop thresher; plant protection chemicals; micro nutrients & soil ameliorants; chemical fertilisers; bio-fertilisers etc. are made available to the farmers at subsidised rates. Other resources like storage godowns, cold storage facilities, marketing infrastructure etc. are also created for benefit of the farmers.
With the acceptance and adoption of the recommendations of the 14th Finance Commission, the financial devolution to the States has risen from 32 percent to 42 percent of the central tax revenue.
With this, the sharing pattern of the funds for CSS has been changed. The States would now share the funding by a larger margin relative to pre-devolution period. The budgetary allocation of the DAC for the Centrally Sponsored Schemes has been accordingly provided for, officials stated.