The Modi government is constantly making efforts to increase the income of the farmers of the country. It has achieved considerable success. In this direction, the Modi government has approved the continuation of the PM-ASHA scheme with a budget of Rs 35,000 crore to provide better prices to farmers and control the price fluctuations of essential commodities for customers. An official statement said that the Union Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday approved the Pradhan Mantri Annadata Aay Sanrakshan Abhiyan (PMAnnadata Aay Sanrakshan Abhiyan) to provide beneficial prices to farmers and control the price fluctuations of essential commodities. Customers were allowed to continue PM-ASHA schemes.
There will be help in buying crops at MSP
This will help states procure more of these crops at MSP from farmers to prevent 'distress' selling. “However, this limit will not apply in case of peas, urad and lentil for 2024-25 season as 100 per cent procurement of peas, urad and lentil will take place during 2024-25 season, as decided earlier,” the government said. On the notified MSP, the Centre said, the existing government guarantee for procurement of pulses, oilseeds and coconut (copra) has been renewed and enhanced to Rs 45,000 crore. This will help procure more pulses, oilseeds and copra whenever market prices are below the MSP. Procurement at MSP will be done by the agriculture department, which will also include farmers already registered on the e-Samridhi portal of National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (NAFED) and National Cooperative Consumer Federation of India (NCP).
It will help in preventing hoarding and speculation
The scheme will help discourage hoarders and speculators. Whenever market prices are higher than the MSP, procurement of pulses at market prices will be done by the Department of Consumer Affairs, which will also involve farmers pre-registered on NAFED's e-Samridhi portal and NCCF's e-Samridhi portal. Apart from buffer maintenance, interventions have been made in subsidised retail sale of tomatoes and other crops like Bharat Dal, Bharat Atta and Bharat Rice under the PSF scheme. To encourage states to come forward for implementation of Price Deficit Payment Scheme (PDPS) as an alternative to the proposed oilseeds, the coverage has been increased from the existing 25 per cent to 40 per cent of the state's oilseed production and an implementation period has been extended from three to four months to benefit farmers.