India is an agricultural country and about 60 percent of its population depends on agriculture for their livelihood. Along with this, agriculture has an important contribution in strengthening the Indian economy. Different types of crops are grown here in every season. Farmers also work hard to improve crop production.

On the other hand, the central government also gives benefit schemes to farmers to eliminate inconveniences arising in farm work or to make life easier. With the help of these schemes, farmers get ease from planting to selling the product.

Central government run agricultural schemes provide benefits ranging from loans to subsidies, incentives and crop insurance for your personal needs. To ensure government commitment and accountability, various ministry schemes and programs are changing the direction and status of the country’s farmers.

This year, that is, many such agricultural schemes have been started which create new sources of income and open up employment opportunities for farmers. These schemes also ensure economic and social security for farmers. Let’s know about them.

Prime Minister’s Agricultural Irrigation Scheme

Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana has been started to benefit farmers. Under this scheme, farmers receive a subsidy for the equipment used while irrigating their fields.

Under this, benefits will also be provided to members of self-help groups, trusts, cooperative societies, joint-stock companies, productive farmer groups. Under Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana 2022, the central government has earmarked an amount of Rs 50,000 crore. This scheme has been started to make the dream of ‘water for every farm’ come true.

In fact, the continuous decrease of water in the land is becoming a great challenge for agriculture. In view of these challenges, the Central Government’s Agricultural Irrigation Plan encourages farmers to expand irrigation crops, reduce water waste, and adopt efficient water use techniques.

Under PM Krishi Sinchayee Yojana, the irrigation equipment allowance can be availed by applying in any season.

Kisan Credit Card Scheme

While growing anything, a lot of money is spent on the work from planting to selling. Most farmers do not have enough money to do all this work together. Sometimes, due to financial constraints, these farmers leave their farming in the middle. To solve their problems, the government has launched the Kisan credit card scheme.

Under which, farmers receive loan facilities at affordable interest rates. They are given a short-term loan with the Kisan credit card. Along with this, farmers who repay the loan on time also receive a subsidy. To take advantage of this scheme, farmers can also contact their nearest financial institution or bank.

Prime Minister’s Crop Insurance Scheme

Farming is not an easy task. Due to changeable weather, natural calamities and sometimes due to outbreak of insect diseases, crops suffer huge losses, which is not easy for farmers to cope with. To deal with such problems of the farmers and to save them from the great economic crisis, the Central Government has launched the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana. In this way, farmers are saved from a major economic crisis.

Under this scheme, crops produced by farmers are insured. Under this scheme, insurance coverage is available from before planting until after harvest. 1.5% interest must be paid to insure Rabi crops, 2% interest must be paid to insure Kharif crops and 5% contribution for horticultural crops.

Apart from this, if the crops get damaged due to natural calamities, the farmers must inform the insurance company within 72 hours after this happens. After this, the insurance company goes to the field and takes stock of the crop loss and gives the money from the insurance cover to the farmer.

Scheme of the Soil Health Card

Farmers are using unbalanced fertilizers to increase production in their fields. Because the soil productivity of their lands is continually declining. Instead of increasing farm productivity, it is continually declining. To know the health of the soil, the Central Government has launched the Soil Health Card Scheme.

Under this scheme, farmers take soil samples from their fields and go to the soil analysis laboratory. After which the laboratory issues the soil health card. In this card, all the information like soil deficiency, soil requirement, correct amount of manure-fertilizer, which crop to plant are present.

Pradhan Mantri Kusum Yojana

The central government is constantly emphasizing the use of solar energy in our country. This not only saves electricity, but farmers can also earn good money by generating electricity from solar energy. Apart from this, farmers get many other benefits with the ease of irrigation through the use of energy. In view of this, the Central Government heads PM Kusum Yojana.

Under this scheme, farmers are motivated so that they can install solar panels on their fields, after installing the panels, farmers can easily do irrigation work with solar powered pumps and can also earn more income by generating electricity.

The central and state governments give a 30-30 percent subsidy to buy solar pumps under the PM Kusum scheme. Loan facility is given to farmers for the payment of the remaining 30%. In this way, farmers can install solar panels for just 10 percent of the cost.

PM Kisan Maandhan Yojana

Pradhan Mantri Kisan Maandhan Yojana is also known as Kisan Pension Yojana. Farmers in the age group of 18 to 40 years can take advantage of this scheme. Under the scheme, these farmers will have to pay a contribution of Rs 55 to Rs 200 every month. After this, when the farmer’s age is 60 years, the government receives a pension of Rs 3,000 per month, ie Rs 36,000 per year.

Plan of Prime Minister Kisan Samman Nidhi

Even today, a large population of farmers in India are small and marginal farmers. Means the farmer who has arable land of 2 acres or less. As financial assistance to such farmers, the central government has decided to grant Rs 6,000 per year. For this, Prime Minister Kisan Samman Nidhi ie Prime Minister Kisan Yojana has also been initiated. The latest figures show that currently more than 8 crores of the country are benefiting from this scheme.

National Agricultural Market or e-NAM

To enable farmers to sell their crops at the correct price, the central government has launched the National Agricultural Market, ie the e-NAM scheme. Under this scheme, farmers can sell their products at the price they want in any corner of the country by bidding on the harvest at home.

This work can be done with the help of e-NAM, which is an online business portal. In this portal, the farmer has to give his registration and cultivation information. After this, the agricultural merchants present on the portal bid on the farmer’s products.

After this, it is up to the farmer who can sell his product at the price he wants, where he wants. After the sale, the merchant himself approaches the farmer and takes the product from him. In this way, the farmer’s storage and transportation cost is also saved.

National Horticultural Mission

Due to climate change, losses in traditional crops are increasing. The farmers who grow it also have to face heavy losses. This is the reason why the Central Government has now advised farmers to move towards growing horticultural crops which include fruits, flowers, vegetables and herbs. The National Horticultural Mission is proving useful to farmers in this work.

Under this scheme, farmers receive financial assistance, subsidies, loans and training for the cultivation of horticultural crops. Any farmer who wants to take advantage of this scheme can contact the nearest department of agriculture in his district.

Dairy Business Development Scheme (DEDS)

To increase farmers’ income and improve their standard of living, the Central Government has launched the Dairy Business Development Scheme (DEDS). Most of the country’s farmers are engaged in animal husbandry. The government believes that if this work is done on a large scale, milk can be produced in good quantity.

Taking advantage of this scheme, farmers or animal herders can set up a new dairy, if they already have a dairy, they can expand it further.