Schemes For Promotion Of Agriculture in the Country, More Than 40 per Cent Farmers are living below the Poverty line

109. SHRI KANWAR SINGH TANWAR: 

Will the Minister of AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE कृषि एवं किसान कल्यान मंत्री be pleased to state: 

• (a) whether despite various ongoing schemes for promotion of agriculture in the country, more than 40 per cent farmers are living below the poverty line; 

• (b) if so, whether the Government has made any study to assess the performance of each of these schemes during the last three years; 

• (c) if so, the outcome of such study; and 

• (d) whether the Government proposes to reform such schemes and if so, the details thereof?

(a) to (d): A statement is laid on the Table of the House. 

STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) TO (d) OF LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 109 DUE FOR REPLY ON 18TH DECEMBER, 2018. 

(a): As per the erstwhile Planning Commission’s estimates based on Nation Sample Survey Office(NSSO) Survey, in 2011-12 the rural population living below poverty line (BPL) was 25.7 percent, including both farm and non-farm rural population. Separate estimate on the number of farmers living Below Poverty Line is not available. 

(b) to (d): The major schemes are regularly monitored and evaluated from time to time through independent agencies/institutes and revamped on the basis of the feedback. 

The outcomes of performance evaluation of the major schemes are as follows: 

• (i) Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture(MIDH): Substantial increase in area under horticultural crops and Gross value of Output (GVO) was observed. 

• (ii) National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture(NMSA): The Scheme was found highly relevant for the development of rainfed areas and helped the farmers in maximizing the farm returns; mitigating the impacts of drought, flood, and minimizing risks of crop failure; impacted increase of income by 39%. 

• (iii) Interest Subvention Scheme: The scheme had positive impacts on the rate of growth of ground level credit to agriculture and increase in use of crucial inputs; and helped increase yield and production of major crops. 

• (iv) Soil Health Card(SHC): The card provides information on fertility status of soil and a soil test based advisory on use of fertilizers. Application of fertilizer and micronutrients based on Soil health Card Recommendations resulted in 8-10% savings in fertilizer. Besides, overall increase in the yield of crops was to the tune of 5-6%. 

• (v) National Food Security Mission (NFSM Crops and Pulses): The mission has helped in widening the food basket in the country with sizeable contribution coming from the NFSM Districts. The focused and target oriented implementation of mission initiatives has resulted in bumper production of rice, wheat and pulses. 

• (vi) Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY): Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) has led to increase in Gross Capital Formation; better implementation due to performance-linked eligibility for funds and fund use flexibility across time and states. The suggestions for improvement were related to ensuring better inter- state allocation by using up-dated data; replacing certain fund eligibility parameters by state level performance related indicators, focus on end-to-end projects while planning; and initiating innovative projects without duplication. 

• (vii) Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana (PMKSY): Per Drop More Crop mainly focuses on water use efficiency at farm level through precision/micro irrigation (Drip and Sprikler Irrigation). An impact evaluation study for Micro Irrigation, a component of PMKSY, indicated overall income enhancement of the beneficiaries in the range of 20% to 68% with average of 48.5%. 

• (viii) Venture Capital Assistance and Equity Grant & Credit Guarantee Fund: Evaluation of the sub-scheme of Integrated Scheme of Agricultural Marketing (ISAM) shows that it has incentivized the agri-entrepreneurs to bring in more equity and set up agri-business units. 

• (ix) Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY): The scheme is an outcome of elaborate restructuring and subsuming National Agricultural Insurance Scheme and other components of National Agricultural Insurance Programmes on the basis of implementational experience. Larger coverage of beneficiaries and crops with minimum premium are the important features of the restructured scheme. A performance evaluation study by Centre for Management of Agriculture, IIM Ahmedabad, commissioned by Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, reveals that in the initial two years of implementation it has taken care of systemic risks associated with widespread vagaries of weather. No crop insurance scheme previously has offered such a comprehensive risk protection to the farmers in the country.