New Delhi:
As the year 2025 begins, the Indian government has made a strong commitment to the welfare of its farmers. In its first cabinet meeting of the year, the Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved several key initiatives aimed at enhancing the prosperity and security of farmers across the country.
Ensuring Affordable Fertilizers:
One of the significant decisions made by the cabinet was the extension of the One-time Special Package on Di-Ammonium Phosphate (DAP) beyond the existing NBS subsidy. This move, effective from January 1, 2025, ensures that DAP will be available to farmers at affordable prices for the foreseeable future. The government has allocated approximately Rs 3,850 crore to support this initiative, reflecting its dedication to maintaining the financial viability of agricultural practices.
Enhanced Crop Insurance Schemes:
The cabinet also approved the continuation of the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana and the Restructured Weather Based Crop Insurance Scheme until 2025-26. With an overall outlay of Rs 69,515.71 crore from 2021-22 to 2025-26, these schemes will provide comprehensive risk coverage to farmers against non-preventable natural calamities. This decision underscores the government’s commitment to mitigating the financial risks faced by farmers due to unpredictable weather conditions.
Technological Advancements in Agriculture:
To further enhance the efficiency and transparency of these insurance schemes, the cabinet has established the Fund for Innovation and Technology (FIAT) with a corpus of Rs 824.77 crore. This fund will support technological initiatives such as the Yield Estimation System using Technology (YES-TECH) and the Weather Information and Network Data Systems (WINDS). YES-TECH, which uses remote sensing technology for yield estimation, is already being implemented in nine major states, with Madhya Pradesh adopting 100% technology-based yield estimation. WINDS, on the other hand, aims to set up automatic weather stations and rain gauges to provide hyper-local weather data, significantly improving the accuracy of weather forecasts and crop insurance claims.
Priority for Northeastern States:
The government has also emphasized its commitment to the northeastern states, ensuring that all efforts are made to saturate these regions with the benefits of these schemes. Despite the voluntary nature of the schemes and the low gross cropped area in these states, flexibility has been provided to reallocate funds to other development projects, ensuring that no funds are surrendered and that the needs of the northeastern farmers are adequately addressed.
Leadership Praise:
Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami have lauded these cabinet decisions, highlighting their potential to provide financial security to farmers and ensure the continuous availability of fertilizers, thereby boosting agricultural production.
