PM AASHA Scheme: Rs 4,820 Crore To Over 2.7 Lakh Farmers - Key Features

A total of 6.41 LMT of pulses worth Rs 4,820 crore of MSP value were procured from 2.75 lakh farmers during the Rabi 2023-24 season. This comprised of a procurement of 2.49 LMT of masoor, 43,000 MT of chana and 3.48 LMT of moong at MSP to support the farmers.

Likewise, 12.19 LMT of oilseeds worth Rs 6,900 crore of MSP value were procured from 5.29 lakh farmers, the government said in a release.

The central government has taken several steps to empower farmers through the PM-AASHA scheme. The Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare has initiated various measures to help farmers to increase their income.

The government's MSP policy for major agricultural commodities seeks to ensure remunerative prices for farmers with a view of encouraging higher investments to further help boosting production.

The market prices of soyabean were much below the MSP prices which led to many difficulties for farmers.

With the central government's intervention under the PSS scheme (which is a component of the PM-AASHA scheme), the government has procured 5.62 LMT of soyabean at the MSP value of Rs 2,700 crore. This has also benefitted about 2,42,461 farmers and this is the highest quantity of soyabean ever procured.

What Are The Other Ways In Which The Government Is Empowering Farmers?

Additionally, the center is also promoting the Price Deficiency Payment Scheme (PDPS) as an option for oilseeds. This scheme will aim at ensuring remunerative pricing to oilseed farmers whose MSP is not notified by the government.

"PDPS envisages the direct payment of the price difference between the MSP and the selling / modal price in notified market up to 15 per cent of MSP value by the Central Government to the pre-registered farmers selling the oilseeds up to 40 per cent of its production to the prescribed Fair Average Quality (FAQ) in the notified market yard through a transparent auction process within the stipulated period," the government said in a release.

However, the States as well as Union Territories have the option to implement either PSS or PDPS for the particular oilseeds for the particular year or season.

Further, the Market Intervention Scheme (MIS) under PM-AASHA is meant for perishable agriculture and horticulture commodities such as tomato, onion and potato, etc. This scheme is implemented only on the request of the state or the union territory government when there's a reduction of prices in the market by at least 10 per cent over the rates of previous normal season in the states and union territories.

PM-AASHA is a ray of hope for many small and marginal farmers in the country.

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