Reforming Transformation: Agriculture and Horticulture sector
Aatmanirbhar Krishi Yojana & Aatmanirbhar Bagwani Yojana
Arunachal Pradesh is the largest state among all other Northeastern States in India. Here, a vast number of the population still relies on farming for their livelihood. The region is rich in biodiversity and the soil is extremely fertile, adding to the excellent climate for crop production. When it comes to plantation and cultivation, Arunachal Pradesh markets one of the top regions enriched with organic produce. By focusing and giving a little push to the agriculture and allied sector, the state can handily uplift the farmers and SHGs of the state, as well as boost the economy. Therefore, the government of Arunachal Pradesh, under the dynamic leadership of Honourable Chief Minister Shri Pema Khandu, launched the Aatmanirbhar Krishi Yojana & Aatmanirbhar Bagwani Yojana to cater to the agriculture & horticulture sectors of the state. For this, state-level and district-level committees have been constituted for the selection of beneficiaries for the schemes in a fair and credible procedure.
The aatmanirbhar krishi yojana, which is administered by the department of agriculture, is a reorganised version of the previous Chief Minister’s Sashakt Kisan Yojna and Chief Minister’s Samuh Yojna, with increased availability and access to bank financing. The Chief Minister’s Sashakt Kisan Yojna was a previous programme run by the Department of Horticulture, to which, the Aatmanirbhar Bagwani Yojana is a parallel programme.
Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister, Shri Pema Khandu on 03 September 2021, launched two credit-linked schemes in the State – Aatmanirbhar Krishi Yojana & Aatmanirbhar Bagwani Yojana, with a Rs 60 Crore subsidy (budget) each. The schemes are part of the Aatmanirbhar program announced during the Budget session held in February 2021.
Aatmanirbhar Krishi Yojana was launched for subsidies under the agriculture sector and Aatmanirbhar Bagwani Yojana is for eligible members for subsidy under the horticulture sector. The proportion of subsidy assistance is 45:45:10 (govt subsidy: bank credit: beneficiary) to boost the agriculture and horticulture sectors and to ensure the doubling of farmers’ income. For the funding of loans to the farmers and SHGs, the State government during the launch of the schemes also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs) with the State Bank of India, Arunachal Pradesh Rural Bank and State Cooperative Apex Bank.
Who is eligible to avail the scheme?
The scheme is intended for the benefit of underprivileged Farmers and Self-Help Groups (SHGs) who need financial assistance in Agricultural/Horticultural ventures. Both the schemes can be availed by any individual farmer as well as self-help groups and Farmer Producers Organizations (FPOs).
Eligibility:
- An applicant must be a permanent resident of Arunachal Pradesh.
- The candidate must be a farmer.
- The candidate must belong to self-help groups.
How to avail the benefits of the scheme?
To avail of the benefits, citizens can connect with their respective district administrations. The applicants need to apply at the concerned deputy commissioner’s office in their respective districts.
The state-level committee will identify the beneficiaries of the state, and then the list of selected beneficiaries will be forwarded to the relevant departments. After all due process, the final beneficiaries will get the credit through various banks present across the state and also farming equipment.
Benefits:
Under Aatmanirbhar Krishi Yojana
The scheme focuses on the growth of farmers:
- The individual will be able to take a loan of up to Rs. 1.60 lakhs without collateral.
- If any, individual farmer avails the scheme within ₹1.6 lakh, no collateral or bank guarantee would be required and for self-help groups availing the scheme within or up to ₹10 lakh, no collateral or bank guarantee would be required.
- The subsidy will be borne by the government and bank, and only 10% of the subsidy will be borne by the farmer’s SHGs of the state.
Under Aatmanirbhar Bagwani Yojana
The scheme focuses on the development of Self-Help Groups (SHGs), especially for women:
- This scheme is based on front-ended subsidies.
- The credit under this scheme will be provided by SBI, Arunachal Pradesh Rural Bank, and Arunachal Pradesh Cooperative Apex Bank.
- No land Certificate is required to avail of the benefit of the Aatmanirbhar Krishi Yojana.
- 45% subsidy will be borne by the government, 45% subsidy will be borne by the banks and the rest of the 10% subsidy will be borne by the farmer/SHGs themselves.
- The benefit of this scheme will be provided to about 3700 SHGs of the state.
Highlights of Aatmanirbhar Krishi Yojana & Aatmanirbhar Bagwani Yojana in Arunachal Pradesh – A timeline
February 5 2022
A loan of ₹32.11 Cr was disbursed virtually by Pema Khandu under Aatmanirbhar Krishi/Bagwani Yojana, to the Self-Help Groups & farming individuals at Itanagar.
10 March 2022
The Hon’ble Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh virtually flagged off 44 tractors and 22 power-tillers for beneficiary farmers in the inaugural ceremony of the 1-day Expo-cum-Kisan Mela held at Roing, Dibang Valley. The farming equipment was distributed under Aatmanirbhar Krishi Yojana and Sub-Mission on Agriculture Mechanization (SMAM).
July 2022
To boost agriculture in the state by providing credit facilities to beneficiaries through various banks, about 4487 farmers and 401 SHGs benefitted across the state by July 2022 with the launch of Aatmanirbhar Krishi Yojana.
The Government of Arunachal Pradesh is optimistic about strengthening and transforming the farming and allied sectors. Therefore, such credit-linked subsidy schemes have been initiated that aim to boost Agriculture & Horti districts in the state, all the while benefiting the community. To ensure that farmers and producers in the state receive fair returns, both schemes have been designed with an end-to-end, holistic approach that includes pre-production, production, post-harvest management, processing, and marketing.
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