In response to a question on the benefits of Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana in the Lok Sabha on March 21, Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare Narendra Singh Tomar told that IFPRI conducted a study on the scheme in Uttar Pradesh.
Benefits of PM Kisan
According to the report, the money received by beneficiaries through PM-Kisan not only aid them with their agricultural needs, but also with other expenses such as education, medical, marriage, and so on.
The report claimed that the fund obtained by recipients through PM-Kisan not only aid them with their agricultural needs, but also with other expenses such as education, medical, marriage, and so on.
It added that the monies disbursed under the scheme have worked as a catalyst in rural economic growth, aided in reducing credit constraints for farmers, and enhanced agricultural input investments.
The minister said the initiative has increased farmers' risk-taking capacity, allowing them to make riskier but more productive investments. A farmer-centric digital infrastructure has ensured that the scheme's benefits reach all farmers across the country without the involvement of middlemen. The Union has so far given over 2.41 lakh crore to over 11 crore farmers in the country while maintaining complete openness in the registration and verification of beneficiaries, he said.
In response to a question on the number of cowsheds (gaushalas) in the country, Parshottam Rupala, Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry, and Dairying, stated that the total number of gaushalas in the country is estimated at 7,676 based on basic animal husbandry statistics. Rajasthan has the most cowsheds, with 2,269, followed by Gujarat with 1,418 and Madhya Pradesh with 905.
In response to a question about avian influenza, Rupala stated that avian influenza (H5N1) was diagnosed on February 17 by the ICAR - National Institute of High-Security Animal Disease, Bhopal, from samples of poultry from the government poultry farm in Bokaro in Jharkhand.
He stated that 4,536 birds were affected by it from two epicentres of outbreak in Jharkhand, while 1.06 lakh birds were impacted by H5N1 from 28 epicentres of outbreak in Kerala, based on information obtained from the states.
States have been advised to carry out control and containment activities in accordance with the Action Plan for the Prevention, Control, and Containment of Avian Influenza (2021), as well as to keep an adequate stock of PPE kits and other accessories for control and containment operations.
Financial aid is given to farmers whose birds have been culled, eggs and feed ruined due to confirmation of avian influenza under the 'Assistance to States for Control of Animal Diseases' (ASCAD), a Centrally sponsored component of the Livestock Health and Disease Control Programme Scheme, on a 50:50 sharing basis between the Centre and the State governments, he said.
