Earlier this week, the 19th instalment of the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) was released to the farmers. Over 11 Crore farmers have been registered under this programme, with over 25 per cent being female beneficiaries. The total disbursement since the initiation of the programme stands at Rs. 3.68 lakh crore and the number of beneficiaries is 9.8 crores till date.
The PM-KISAN programme ensures financial support for the farmers. Each financial year, three instalments, each worth Rs. 2,000, are credited to the bank accounts of the farmers. The primary goal of the programme is to help farmers reduce their input costs, acquire better seeds, and improve their household incomes. Every fifth farmer registered under the programme comes from the SC/ST communities.
The progressive outlook of the Modi Government towards agriculture must not be viewed from the PM-KISAN lens alone. Agriculture contributes anywhere between 15 to 18 per cent to the national Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Therefore, the government’s futuristic outlook towards agriculture, combining modern technology, digitization, and logistics must be lauded.
One of the most underrated reforms of the Modi Government has been to ensure that the payment is made directly into the bank accounts of the farmers, eliminating the middlemen from the process. In some states, these middlemen used to extort money from the farmers or charge exorbitant rates of interest on informal loans doled out. Even while some states witnessed protests against the direct transfer of MSPs, the government did not back down.
On the fertiliser front, the push for neem-coated urea has ensured higher yields for farmers. The neem layer on urea delays the release of nitrogen into the soil. Typically, with uncoated urea, a large amount of nitrogen escapes through volatilisation (turning into ammonia gas in the air) or leaching (seeping into groundwater).
Neem-coated urea’s gradual release keeps nitrogen accessible to plants for an extended time, improving how much crops absorb. This means farmers can use less urea, lowering expenses while still sustaining or even enhancing crop yields.
On the insurance front, the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana has enrolled over 50 Crore farmers and settled claims worth Rs. 1.7 Lakh Crore until early 2025. For every single rupee of premium charged from the farmers, six rupees have been given as a premium. In the wake of an unpredictable climate, the programme offers an efficient cushion for the marginal farmers who are economically vulnerable.
The Modi Government has also mobilised technology through aspiring women entrepreneurs. The ‘Drone Didi’ program equips women from Self-Help Groups (SHGs) with training to become certified drone pilots, providing them with a valuable skill and a steady income stream. By offering drone services to farmers, these women can earn approximately ₹1 lakh per year, promoting financial self-reliance and improving their social and economic standing in rural communities.
To harness the collective power of small and marginal farmers, the government has also been aggressively pushing the idea of ‘Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs)’. When small landholding farmers get together, they are in a position to bring down their input costs, and machinery costs, and even work towards better yields and market access.
By 2025, the Modi Government is aiming for 10,000 FPOs across India, and over 9,000 are registered already. The Lavender revolution in Jammu, the horticulture revolution in the northeastern states and Himachal Pradesh. In Karnataka, for instance, the coffee exports are making headlines. FPOs have also ushered ease of shift, thereby enabling farmers to opt for crop diversification.
The decision to go for crop diversification will go a long way in serving the ecological interests of the farmers. While it helps the government displace the import bills, especially for pulses and other cash crops, it also gives farmers the guarantee of improved incomes and better market access. Most importantly, it shifts attention away from water-intensive crops that are detrimental to the long-term interests of the soil and local ecology.
The government’s increased capex, more than Rs. 50 Lakh Crore in the last four presented budgets alone, has a significant role to play in the elevation of the agricultural ecosystem in India. With better access through roads and railways, including the Dedicated Freight Corridors, the farmers are no longer required to worry about getting their produce to the urban centres. The sprawling network of highways and expressways has also brought down the logistics costs for the farmers.
India, as a partial agrarian economy, needs to have a futuristic outlook towards agriculture, given its impact on food inflation, global supply chains, and overall food security for the masses. The Modi Government, factoring in these aspects, has been ushering an array of programmes to improve the lives of the farmers, and unshackle them from the conventional farming methods.
Farming, for long, has been reduced to a low-income, low-return profession. However, the Modi Government is changing that perception with each welfare programme.
(Tushar Gupta is a senior journalist and political analyst)
