Andhra merges PM Kisan scheme with Annadatha Sukhibhava, all farmers to get Rs 10,000

Somireddy said that all tenant farmers who would be given ‘Cultivation Certificates’ and ‘Loan Eligibility Certificates’ will get Rs 5,000 each per crop.

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“Andhra Pradesh is the first state to include tenant farmers also to receive the investment support benefits. They will receive two instalments of Rs 5,000 each ahead of Kharif and Rabi, a total sum of Rs 10,000. We will come to know the number of tenant farmers who will get this benefit when certificates are issued to them. All those farmers who are eligible for Rs 6,000 per household under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi will receive Rs 4,000 from the Andhra Pradesh Government. We are merging both—the Centre will give Rs 6,000 and AP Government will give Rs 4,000 more. About 54 lakh farmers will benefit from this,” Somireddy said.

“The Centre will be transferring the Rs 6,000 in three instalments of Rs 2,000 each. When the first instalment of Rs 2,000 under Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi is transferred at the end of February, we will add Rs 3,000 under ‘Annadatha Sukhibhava Scheme” for the Kharif crop. We will adjust the pending amount for Rabi season. This will cost the government about Rs 1,620 crores each season. Approximately 15 lakh farmers who own more than 5 acres land and are thus not eligible for Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi will receive Rs 10,000 per annum irrespective of the size of their land holding. It will cost the government Rs 750 crores. The entire scheme will cost Rs 5,000 crore per annum for which a provision has been made in the budget,” Somireddy said.

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The minister said that although the kharif season in AP starts by July, the government will release the amount now so that the first instalment of Rs 2,000 under Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi does not go waste. “Rs 2,000 is of no use to a farmer. By adding Rs 3,000 from our side we are making a decent sum that the farmer can use to prepare his field. Ahead of the Rabi season we will pay the remaining amount along with the other two instalments un PM Kisan Samman Nidhi,’’ he said.

The minister stated that as part of the farm loan waiver scheme, the final two tranches of Rs 4,000 crore each would be released soon. The ruling Telugu Desam Party government has so far released Rs 15,000 crore as waiver for farm loans of up to Rs 1.50 lakh.