On September 19, 2023, Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman , Ministry of Finance; and Union Minister Narendra Singh Tomar, Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare (MoAFW), inaugurated Kisan Rin Portal (KRP), Weather Information Network Data Systems (WINDS) Manual, and Door-To-Door Kisan Credit Card (KCC) campaign (Ghar-Ghar KCC Abhiyaan) during an event at Pusa Complex, New Delhi, Delhi.
- These initiatives are focused on Agri-credit (KCC & MISS) and Crop Insurance (PMFBY/RWBCIS).
- MISS stands for Modified Interest Subvention Scheme, PMFBY for Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, and RWBCIS for Restructured Weather Based Crop Insurance Scheme.
Key People:
Sushri Shobha Karandlaje; Kailash Choudhary, Ministers of State for MoA & FW, Ritesh Chauhan CEO of PMFBY and Shaji KV, Chairman of NABARD were present during the event.
About Kisan Rin Portal (KRP):
It aims to give farmers subsidized loans under the KCC scheme, and also assist them in availing subsidized agriculture credit through MISS.
- KCC is a credit scheme introduced in August 1998 by Indian public sector banks.
Developers:
The portal is developed collaboratively by MoA&FW, the Department of Financial Services (DFS) under Ministry of Finance, Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying (DAH&D) and Department of Fisheries (DoF) under Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying(MoFAHD), Reserve Bank of India (RBI), and National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD).
Key Points:
i.It will offer a comprehensive view of farmer data, scheme utilization progress, loan disbursement specifics, and interest subvention claims to increase seamless integration with banks for more effective and efficient agriculture credit.
ii.Banks are mandated to give all relevant data by December 31, 2023, for the Kisan Rin Portal.
iii.As per the Government data, there are around 7.35 crore KCC accounts as of March 30, 2023 with a sanction limit of a total of 8.85 lakh crore.
- During April-August of FY24, the Central Government has disbursed agri-credit of around Rs 6,573 crore at a subsidised interest rate.
KCC Ghar Ghar Abhiyaan: Door-to-Door KCC campaign:
During the event, Ghar Ghar KCC Abhiyaan was also launched which will initiate from October 1, 2023 till December 31, 2023 which aims to connect around 1.5 crore beneficiaries of Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) who are not yet connected to KCC scheme
- Currently, there are around 9 crore beneficiaries under PM KISAN.
WINDS Manual
It is launched to enhance the impact of the Weather Network Data Systems (WINDS) initiative which was launched in July 2023 to utilize advanced weather data analytics to make informed weather decisions on agriculture.
- WINDS initiative targets to establish a wide network of weather stations an Rain Gauges at the block and gram panchayat level.
- Click Here to Read about WINDS
Key Point:
i.WINDS manual offers stakeholders a deep understanding of the portal, aiding States and Union Territories in its integration for transparent data observation. It also provides practical insights on using weather data for better crop management and risk reduction.
Recent Related News:
i.On 12th July 2023, Manoj Ahuja, Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare(MoA&FW), virtually launched a new campaign for banks under Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF) titled BHARAT (Banks Heralding Accelerated Rural & Agriculture Transformation) to mobilize funds from banks.
ii.On 13th July 2023, the Ministry of Agriculture called upon the banks to promote Rs 1 lakh crore AIF for creation of necessary infrastructure in the farm sector. Under this scheme, Rs 1 lakh crore is to be disbursed by financial year 2025-26 and the interest subvention and credit guarantee assistance will be given till the year 2032-33.
About Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare (MoA & FW):
Union Minister– Narendra Singh Tomar (Constituency-Morena, Madhya Pradesh)
Ministers of State– Sushri Shobha Karandlaje; Kailash Choudhary.
