Review Meeting of Agriculture and Cooperative Departments : Encourage Farmers to Take Benefit of Subsidy Scheme in Setting-Up Agro-Processing Unit by Running a Campaign – CM

Jaipur, August 18. Chief Minister Shri Ashok Gehlot has said that farmers should be encouraged to get the benefit of the subsidy scheme for farmers for setting-up agro-processing units. This will help them getting the fair prices of crops and increase their income. He directed the officers of the agriculture and the concerned departments to help farmers in getting loans from the banks under this scheme and to encourage farmers by running a promotion campaign at the district level. 

Shri Gehlot was addressing the review meeting of agriculture, cooperative, and other departments from his official residence on Tuesday. He said that with this scheme, not only the income of the farmers will increase but the price of products will increase due to value addition and will create new employment opportunities in the agriculture sector at the local level. Farmers can get loans up to Rs. One crore for setting-up the Agro-Processing Units industry under this scheme on which the State Government gives subsidy up to 50% on loan. 

Prepare a Mechanism to Protect People from Credit Society Frauds 

The Chief Minister said that many Multi-state Credit Cooperative societies cheat the general public on the name of investment. The complaints of looting away the people’s hard-earned money are a subject of concern. He directed the officers to prepare a mechanism that in future no such cooperative society could trick the poor people in the State. He said that there is also a need to make the general public aware to protect them from such societies. 

Rs. 250 Crore from Farmer Welfare Fund to Pay the Insurance Premium 

The Chief Minister has directed to approve the premium Rs. 250 crore from the Farmer Welfare Fund for early payment of the insurance claim to the farmers for the Rabi season of 2019-20. Around 2.50 lakh farmers will be soon paid the insurance claim of approximately Rs 750 crore with this decision of Shri Gehlot. He also directed for early payment of Rs 95.87 crore from the Farmer Welfare Fund for the construction of 3,723 water tanks in various districts. 

Recruitment Soon on 1,000 Posts in Co-operative Societies 

Shri Gehlot said that the recruitment process for 1,000 posts in various cooperative societies will be started soon. For this, he directed to complete the necessary amendments in service and recruitment rules of the department within three months and send the request for recruitment to the Cooperative Recruitment Board. 

Committee to Provide Maximum Benefit of Agriculture Infrastructure Fund 

The Chief Minister has taken a decision to form a state-level monitoring committee under the chairmanship of the Chief Secretary to provide the maximum benefit of Agriculture Infrastructure Fund to the farmers through Kray-Vikray Sahakari Samiti (KVSS), Primary Agriculture Credit Society (PACS), and Large-Scale Agricultural Multi-Purpose Societies (LAMPS), etc. This Agriculture Infrastructure Fund has been started by the Government of India. It has been targeted to allot Rs 9,000 crore to Rajasthan under this fund and the newly formed committee will regularly monitor its implementation. 

Plots to be allotted for public facilities to the farmers in mandi premises 

Shri Gehlot has decided to allot plots for running public facilities in mandi premises in the State. Community facilities will be developed for farmers on these plots in the mandi. 

Medical Sales Centres in all Cooperative Stores will be made online 

The Chief Minister has directed to ensure transparency in medicines and its timely availability by bringing uniformity in Confed and Cooperative Consumer Stores. He said that all the medical sales centers will be made online for the convenience of 4.15 lakh pensioners in the State and the state government’s treasury and pension department will be linked. Besides this, it has been decided to make a centralized purchase of medicines for Confed and Cooperative Consumer Stores. 

Cattle Raisers will be Issued Maximum KCC based on livestock 

Shri Gehlot said that regular monitoring of the ongoing campaign to issue maximum Kisan credit card (KCC) to 5 lakh cattle raising farmers in the State based on livestock, will be done at the state level through state-level bankers committee and the planning. With this decision, the credit limit of KCC of farmers who own land and livestock will increase up to Rs 3 lakh. Those farmers who have only cattle will be given a loan on KCC credit limit of Rs 1.60 lakh. 

Status of Private Sub yards this year to 1,000 Cooperative Societies 

The Chief Minister approved the proposal to give the status of private Sub yard to 1,000 new GSS and KVSS in the State this year. These are in addition to earlier announced 550 Sub yards. 

Loan of Rs 7343.71 crore to 23.91 lakh farmers for Kharif 

Agriculture and Cooperative Department Principal Secretary Shri Kunji Lal Meena said that the cooperative department has disbursed Rs 9541 crore as short–term cooperative crop loan to 21.86 lakh farmers for the year 2019-20. For the Kharif season 2020-21, loan of Rs 7343.71 crore has been disbursed to 23.91 lakh farmers of which Rs 393.80 crore's loan has been disbursed to 2.25 lakh new farmers. He said that agriculture products have been purchased on minimum support price through sub yards in the entire state looking to the corona. Agriculture produce of Rs 155.31 crore has been purchased in 430 sub yards in various districts. 

Make concrete Arrangements Prior to Locust Attacks 

Agriculture Commissioner Dr. Om Prakash said that pesticides have been sprayed on an area of 5 lakh hectares in the State to control locusts. This year, locust outbreak was in 32 districts out of 33 districts and the agriculture department with the help of local people, district administration and other departments controlled the locusts. He said there is apprehension of locust attack in coming days. The Chief Minister on this directed to make concrete arrangements prior to the attacks so that crops do not suffer damage. 

Agriculture Minister Shri Lalchand Kataria, Co-operative Minister Shri Uday Lal Anjana, Minister of State for Agriculture Shri Bhajan Lal Jatav, Minister of State for Cooperatives Shri Teekaram July, Chief Secretary Shri Rajiva Swaroopa and other senior officials of various departments were present on this occasion.