Announced in the interim budget, small farmers will now enjoy direct income support through the ‘PM Kisan Samman Nidhi’ programme being rolled out by the government ahead of the Lok Sabha polls due in May. Calling it a ‘historic plan’, minister Piyush Goyal announced in his Budget speech that farmers who have less than two acres of land will now receive a direct income support of Rs.6,000.
Allocating Rs 75,000 to the scheme, the minister stated that farmers would receive the money directly in their bank accounts over three instalments of Rs.2000 each.
In addition, the minister announced that MNREGA allocation has been set at Rs 60,000 to create employment. He also announced schemes for cow protection and increasing their productivity. “If there is a need, we will increase the allocation,” Goyal said.
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Tipped to be one of the most widely anticipated announcements before the Lok Sabha polls, the moves for farmers and the poor comes in the backdrop of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) debacle of a performance in the recent state elections of Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.
With farmer staging demonstrations and taking processions to the streets, the growing discontent among them is expected to be a major point of consideration in the upcoming polls.
The Congress announced farmer loan waivers immediately after coming to power in Rajasthan to address the question of farmers’ distress. The Congress president has even gone ahead and promised a nation-wide waiver of farmers’ loans if voted to power in 2019.
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Looked upon a measure to appease and win votes, the issue of farmer benefits was expected to be a major focus of the Interim Budget for the ruling regime. With rising unemployment rates and reports of farmer suicides trickling in, the BJP government is perceived to be under pressure to dole out sops.
[Photograph courtesy: Lok Sabha TV]
