Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 3 applauded the Union Cabinet’s decision to approve the PM Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (PM-RKVY) and the Krishonnati Yojana (KY), stating that the two decisions will make the food producers self-reliant and will further strengthen food security.
In a post on X, the Prime Minister stated that the Union Government is committed to the welfare of farmers across the country.
“We are committed to the welfare of our farmer brothers and sisters across the country. In this direction, two important decisions have been taken today and the PM-Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana and Krishonnati Yojana have been approved. This will make the food producers self-reliant and will further strengthen food security,” PM Modi wrote on X.
The Union Cabinet approved the PM-RKVY and the Krishonnati Yojana to enhance food security and promote sustainable agriculture, with a combined expenditure of over Rs 1 lakh crore.
“The Union Cabinet, chaired by PM Modi, today approved the proposal of the Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare (DA&FW) for rationalisation of all Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CSS) operating under Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers into two-umbrella schemes, viz., Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana, and Krishonnati Yojana,” a statement read.
PM-RKVY will promote sustainable agriculture, while KY will address food security and agricultural self-sufficiency. All components shall leverage technology to ensure efficient and effective implementation of the various components, the release added.
The PM-RKVY and Krishonnati Yojana will be implemented with the total proposed expenditure of Rs 1,01,321.61 crore. These schemes are implemented through the state governments.
This exercise ensures that all the existing schemes are being continued. Wherever it was considered necessary to give a fillip to any area for the farmer’s welfare, the scheme has been taken up in mission mode, for example, the National Mission for Edible Oil-Oil Palm [NMEO-OP], the Clean Plant Programme, Digital Agriculture and the National Mission for Edible Oil-Oil Seeds [NMEO-OS].
The scheme Mission Organic Value Chain Development for North Eastern Region (MOVCDNER), a component under the KY, is being modified by adding a component, namely MOVCDNER- Detailed Project Report (MOVCDNER-DPR), which will provide flexibility to the North Eastern states to address critical challenges.
The release said, “By rationalisation of the schemes, the states are allowed to prepare a Comprehensive Strategic Document on the Agriculture Sector of the State holistically. The Strategic Document focuses not only on the production and productivity of the crops but also tackles the emerging issues of Climate Resilient Agriculture and the development of a value chain approach for agricultural commodities. These plans are envisaged to articulate the overall strategy and the schemes/programs, linked with the objectives flowing from the strategic framework.”
The rationalisation of various schemes has been undertaken to avoid duplication, ensure convergence, provide flexibility to states and focus on emergent challenges of Agriculture – Nutrition security, Sustainability, Climate resilience, value chain development and private sector participation, it added.
State Governments will be able to draw up a comprehensive strategic plan suiting their requirements for the agriculture sector and the Annual Action Plan (AAP) of States can be approved in one go rather than approving individual scheme-wise AAPs.
One important change is to provide, in PM-RKVY, the State Governments the flexibility to reallocate funds from one component to another based on their state-specific requirements.
Out of the total proposed expenditure of Rs 1,01,321.61 crore, the projected expenditure towards a central share of DA&FW is Rs 69,088.98 crore and the state share is Rs 32,232.63 crore. This includes Rs 57,074.72 crore for RKVY and Rs 44,246.89 crore for KY, the release said further.
(With inputs from ANI)
