Farmers will benefit from this government scheme (File Photo: PTI)
The Government of India has announced that it will continue with this scheme, which not only benefits the farmers of the country. Rather, it also saves the common man of the country. The government has also approved a budget of Rs 35,000 crore for it. This is a big decision by the government, taken before the elections, keeping in mind the interests of the common man and the farmers.
Here we are talking about the PM-Aasha Scheme, which was initiated by the government to provide better prices to farmers for their produce and protect the common man from fluctuations in the prices of essential commodities. Now the government is going to continue with this scheme and spend Rs 35,000 crore on it.
Major decision at cabinet meeting
A Cabinet meeting was held on Wednesday under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In this meeting, the continuation of the schemes of ‘Pradhan Mantri Annadata Aay Sanrakshan Abhiyan’ (PM-ASHA), a scheme to offer good prices to farmers for their produce and control fluctuations in prices of essential commodities for the common man, was approved. The government statement said that during the 15th cycle of the Finance Commission, the total financial outlay of this scheme till 2025-26 will be Rs 35,000 crore.
read this too
These schemes were merged into PM-ASHA.
In fact, the Government of India has integrated its two schemes into PM-ASHA to provide better services to the farmers and the common man. The government has merged the Price Support Scheme (PSS) given to farmers on crops and the Price Stabilisation Fund (PSF) created to control prices into PM-ASHA.
Not only this, the reason for implementing the PM-ASHA scheme of the government is to achieve greater effectiveness in the implementation of the schemes. Apart from this, Price Deficit Payment Scheme (POPS) and Market Intervention Scheme (MIS), which are designed to cover the losses in the price of crops, have also been included in this scheme. The PM-ASHA scheme has been designed in such a way that the MSP (minimum support price) can be guaranteed to the farmers.
MSP will be available for these crops
The planned share of procurement of pulses, oilseeds and coconut seeds in the 2024-25 procurement season under the PSS will be 25 percent of the country’s total production. Thanks to this, the federal states will not have to sell them quickly in case of a fall in prices or for fear of crop damage, i.e. there will be no panic selling. At the same time, the states will be able to buy larger quantities from farmers at higher prices.
However, the government clarified that this limit will not be applicable in case of arhar, urad and lentils for the 2024-25 procurement season as there will be 100 per cent procurement of arhar, urad and lentils during the 2024-25 season, as decided earlier. The Centre has increased the existing government guarantee for procurement of notified pulses, oilseeds and coconut (copra) seeds at MSP to Rs 45,000 crore.