Agricultural Sector

Aim of All the Schemes for Farmers

1. Increase profitability of agriculture.
2. Double Farmer Income in 6 Years up to 2022.

Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana

India has a total of 142 million hectares or cultivable land. Unfortunately, artificial
irrigation serves only 45% of this total agricultural land. The remaining 55%
depends solely on natures mood! Delayed rainfall or low rainfall both play havoc
on farmers of the remaining 55% land. Either of the two natural conditions can
mean a catastrophic crop failure that engulfs the whole economy, not to mention,
the farmers are the worst hit elements.
To deal with this gravely difficult matter, the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana
will start with small investment of 5,300 crores for this fiscal year. Definitely, this
sum of money is not enough to cover the whole of 55% of ill-fated land but the
government hopes to:

Provide artificial irrigation facility to 6 lakh hectares of arable land.

Provide drip irrigation to 5 lakh hectares of arable land.

Government of India is committed to accord high priority to water conservation and its
management. To this effect Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY) has been
formulated with the vision of extending the coverage of irrigation Har Khet ko pani and
improving water use efficiency More crop per drop'.

The major objective of PMKSY is to achieve convergence of investments in irrigation at the

field level, expand cultivable area under assured irrigation, improve on-farm water use
efficiency to reduce wastage of water, enhance the adoption of precision-irrigation and
other water saving technologies (More crop per drop), enhance recharge of aquifers and
introduce sustainable water conservation practices by exploring the feasibility of reusing
treated municipal waste water for peri-urban agriculture and attract greater private
investment in precision irrigation system.

Soil Health Card Scheme

Soil Health Card Scheme is a scheme launched by the Government of India in February
2015. Under the scheme, the government plans to issue soil cards to farmers which will
carry crop-wise recommendations of nutrients and fertilizers required for the individual
farms to help farmers to improve productivity through judicious use of inputs.
he scheme aims at promoting soil test based and balanced use of fertilisers to enable
farmers realise higher yields at lower cost.

Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana

The new Crop Insurance Scheme is in line with One Nation One Scheme theme. It
incorporates the best features of all previous schemes and at the same time, all previous
shortcomings / weaknesses have been removed.

Objectives

1. To provide insurance coverage and financial support to the farmers in the event of
failure of any of the notified crop as a result of natural calamities, pests & diseases.

2. To stabilise the income of farmers to ensure their continuance in farming.

3. To encourage farmers to adopt innovative and modern agricultural practices.

4. To ensure flow of credit to the agriculture sector.

Highlights of the scheme

There will be a uniform premium of only 2% to be paid by farmers for all Kharif
crops and 1.5% for all Rabi crops. In case of annual commercial and horticultural
crops, the premium to be paid by farmers will be only 5%. The premium rates to be
paid by farmers are very low and balance premium will be paid by the Government
to provide full insured amount to the farmers against crop loss on account of natural
calamities.

There is no upper limit on Government subsidy. Even if balance premium is 90%, it

will be borne by the Government.

Earlier, there was a provision of capping the premium rate which resulted in low
claims being paid to farmers. This capping was done to limit Government outgo on
the premium subsidy. This capping has now been removed and farmers will get
claim against full sum insured without any reduction.

The use of technology will be encouraged to a great extent. Smart phones will be
used to capture and upload data of crop cutting to reduce the delays in claim
payment to farmers. Remote sensing will be used to reduce the number of crop
cutting experiments.

National Agricultural Market

e-NAM (National Agricultural Market) is a pan-India electronic trading portal launched by
Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Govt of India, to facilitate farmers, traders,
buyers, exporters and processors with a common platform for trading commodities.

Implications / Benefits for various stakeholders

Farmers

They can sell produce without the interference of any brokers or middlemen thereby
making competitive returns out of their investment.

Traders

Traders will be able to do secondary trading from one APMC to another one anywhere in
India.

Local traders can get access to larger national market for secondary trading.

Buyers, Processers & Exporters

Buyers like large retailers, processors or exporters will be able to source commodities from
any mandi in India thereby reducing the inter-mediation cost.Their physical presence and
dependence on intermediaries will not be needed.

Consumers

NAM will increase the number of traders and the competition among them increases. This
translates in to stable prices and availability to the consumers.

Other Schemes for Farmers

1. Kishan Call center
2. Kishan TV
3. Various schemes to provide weather services to farmers etc.
Genetically modified crops
Genetically modified crops (GMCs, GM crops, or biotech crops) are plants used in
agriculture, the DNA of which has been modified using genetic engineering techniques. In
most cases, the aim is to introduce a new trait to the plant which does not occur naturally
in the species. Examples in food crops include resistance to certain pests, diseases, or
environmental conditions, reduction of spoilage, or resistance to chemical treatments (e.g.
resistance to a herbicide), or improving the nutrient profile of the crop.

Arguments against GM crops

Opinion is divided on whether genetic engineering and genetically modified (GM) crops
offer a solution to hunger in the developing countries.

Will GM food reduce hunger in developing countries like India ?

If hunger could be addressed by techno-logy, green revolution would have done it long ago.
The fact is that hunger has grown in India in absolute terms - some 320 million people go to
bed hungry every night. Two years back, India had a record foodgrain surplus of 65 million
tonnes. If 65 million tonnes surplus could not feed the 320 million hungry, how will GM
food remove hunger? In reality, GM food diverts precious financial resources to an
irrelevant research, comes with stronger intellectual property rights, and is aimed at
strengthening corporate control over agriculture.

But what about malnutrition? Crops like golden rice can help remove blindness.

This again is the result of misplaced thinking. There are 12 million people in India who
suffer from Vitamin A deficiency. These people primarily live in food deficit areas or are
marginalised. These are people who cannot buy their normal requirement of food,
including rice. If they were adequately fed, there would be no malnutrition. If the poor in
Kalahandi, for instance, can't buy rice that lies rotting in front of their eyes, how will they
buy golden rice?

Then why is the Indian government experimenting with GM crops and foods?

For two reasons: First, India is under tremendous pressure from the biotechnology
industry to allow GM crops. These companies have the financial resources to mobilise
scientific opinion as well as political support. Second, agricultural scientists are using
biotechnology as a Trojan horse. With nothing to show by way of scientific breakthrough in
the past three decades, GM research will ensure livelihood security for the scientists.

Does GM technology threaten our genetic resources and traditional knowledge?

We have already lost control over our plant, animal and microbial genetic resources. A copy
of roughly 1,50,000 plant accessions that have been collected in India, are with the US
department of agriculture. India has no control over these resources. At the same time,
India is now busy documenting traditional knowledge, so as to help the American
companies know the uses of the plant species they have got from us. Further, Trade-related
Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPs) allows patents on genes and cell lines, which will block
India's agricultural research leading to what I have always termed as a scientific apartheid
against the developing countries.

There are arguments against GM food that are economic and social in nature. Advocates of
organic farming like Vandana Shiva have voiced serious concern about multinational
agribusiness companies such as Monsanto and Bayer taking over farming from the hands of
small farmers, which includes several poor women in developing countries like India. This
would mean loss of autonomy over the manner in which agriculture itself is practiced, with
increased dependence on GM seed companies and herbicides manufactured by them,
putting financial strain on farmer households.

Arguments in support of GM crops

Just reverse the above arguments like increase in food production, increase in nutrition,
solve hunger problem etc.

Indias Current policy

The Genetic Engineering Approval Committee has recently given a green signal for further
trials of genetically modified mustard before making a final decision about the
commercial cultivation of the crop. Unlike Bt brinjal, which had its roots in a gene
developed by American multinational Monsanto, the GM mustard variety , has been
developed by Delhi University.

Who regulates GM crops in India?

The top biotech regulator in India is Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC). The
committee functions as a statutory body under the Environment Protection Act 1986 of the
Ministry of Environment & Forests (MoEF).

What is the status of GM crops in India?

The country has yet to approve commercial cultivation of a GM food crop. The only
genetically modified cash crop under commercial cultivation in India is cotton.
1) Bt Cotton For the time being, the only genetically modified crop that is under
cultivation in India is Bt cotton which is grown over 10.8 million hectares. Bt cotton was
first used in India in 2002.

2) Bt Brinjal The GEAC in 2007, recommended the commercial release of Bt Brinjal, which
was developed by Mahyco (Maharashtra Hybrid Seeds Company) in collaboration with the
Dharward University of Agricultural sciences and the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University.
But the initiative was blocked in 2010.

3) GM Mustard GEAC has recently given a go ahead for tests of GM mustard before taking
a decision on commercialization.
MAKE IN INDIA: THE VISION, NEW PROCESSES, SECTORS,
INFRASTRUCTURE AND MINDSET
Make in India is a programme or more rightly a campaign launched by the
Government on 25 September 2014 to project India as an investment
destination and develop, promote and market India as a leading
manufacturing destination and as a hub for design and information.
The programme aims to radically improve the Ease of Doing Business, open
the FDI regime, improve the quality of infrastructure and make India a
globally competitive manufacturing destination.
Make in India is essentially an invite to the foreign companies to come and
invest in India on the back of the Government promise to create an
environment easy for doing business. But contrary to public perception, no
specific concessions have been offered to foreign investors under this scheme
till date.
Rather it looks at general policy changes which hinges on new processes (say
bettering ease of doing indicators), creation of new infrastructures (eg.
industrial corridors), opening of new sectors (to FDI) and a new mindset
(Government as a facilitator and not as a regulator). Twenty-five sectors have
been identified for implementing "Make in India".
Make in India is an initiative launched by the Government of India to encourage
multi-national, as well as national companies to manufacture their products in India.
The major objective behind the initiative is to focus on job creation and skill
enhancement in 25 sectors of the economy. The initiative also aims at high quality
standards and minimizing the impact on the environment. The initiative hopes to
attract capital and technological investment in India.
Led by the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion, the initiative aims to
raise the contribution of the manufacturing sector to 25% of the Gross Domestic
Product (GDP) by the year 2025 from its current 16%.
India emerged, after initiation of the programme in 2015 as the top destination
globally for foreign direct investment, surpassing the United States of America as
well as the People's Republic of China.
"Zero Defect Zero Effect" is a slogan coined by Prime Minister of India, Narendra
Modi which signifies production mechanisms wherein products have no defects and
the process through which product is made has zero adverse environmental and
ecological effects.

Ease of doing business

India ranks 130th out of 190 countries in the World Bank's 2016 ease of doing business
index, covering the period from June 2014 and June 2015. India was ranked 134th in the
2015 index.

A nation's ranking on the index is based on the average of 10 subindices:

Starting a business Procedures, time, cost and minimum capital to open a new
business

Dealing with construction permits Procedures, time and cost to build a warehouse

Getting electricity procedures, time and cost required for a business to obtain a
permanent electricity connection for a newly constructed warehouse

Registering property Procedures, time and cost to register commercial real estate

Getting credit Strength of legal rights index, depth of credit information index

Protecting investors Indices on the extent of disclosure, extent of director liability

and ease of shareholder suits

Paying taxes Number of taxes paid, hours per year spent preparing tax returns and
total tax payable as share of gross profit

Trading across borders Number of documents, cost and time necessary to export
and import

Enforcing contracts Procedures, time and cost to enforce a debt contract

Resolving insolvency The time, cost and recovery rate (%) under bankruptcy
proceeding

Skill India
Skill India is a campaign launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 15 July 2015
with an aim to train over 40 crore (400 million) people in India in different skills by
2022. It includes various initiatives of the government like "National Skill
Development Mission", "National Policy for Skill Development and
Entrepreneurship, 2015", "Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY)" and the
"Skill Loan scheme".
Skill India is more industry oriented and caters to their desire to get specifically
skilled workers who suit their job requirement.
Initiatives
Various initiatives under this campaign are:

National Skill Development Mission

National Policy for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, 2015

Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY)

Skill Loan scheme

Rural India Skill

Startup India
Startup India campaign is based on an action plan aimed at promoting bank
financing for start-up ventures to boost entrepreneurship and encourage start ups
with jobs creation.
It is focused on to restrict role of States in policy domain and to get rid of "license
raj" and hindrances like in land permissions, foreign investment proposal,
environmental clearances.
A startup is an entity that is headquartered in India which was opened less than five
years ago and has an annual turnover less than 25 crore.
The Standup India initiative is also aimed at promoting entrepreneurship among
SCs/STs, women communities.Rural India's version of Startup India was named the
Deen Dayal Upadhyay Swaniyojan Yojana.

Key points

Single Window Clearance even with the help of a mobile application

10,000 crore fund of funds

80% reduction in patent registration fee

Modified and more friendly Bankruptcy Code to ensure 90-day exit window

Freedom from mystifying inspections for 3 years

Freedom from Capital Gain Tax for 3 years

Freedom from tax in profits for 3 years

 Eliminating red tape

Self-certification compliance

Innovation hub under Atal Innovation Mission

Starting with 5 lakh schools to target 10 lakh children for innovation programme

new schemes to provide IPR protection to start-ups and new firms

encourage entrepreneurship.

Stand India across the world as a start-up hub.

Standup India
Standup India was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 5 April 2016 to
support entrepreneurship among women and SC & ST communities
The scheme offers bank loans of between 10 lakh (US$15,000) and 1
crore (US$150,000) for scheduled castes and scheduled tribes and women setting
up new enterprises outside of the farm sector.

Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana

Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY; Hindi: ) under the Micro

Units Development and Refinance Agency (MUDRA) Bank is a new institution being
set up by Government of India for development and refinancing activities relating to
micro units.

Objectives
Under the scheme, Pradhaan Mantri Mudra Yojana three categories of interventions
has been named which includes
1. Shishu :- Loan up to 50,000 (US$740)
2. Kishore :- Loan ranging from 50,000 (US$740) to 5 lakh (US$7,400)
3. Tarun :- Loan above 5 lakh (US$7,400) and below 10 lakh (US$15,000)
These three categories will signify the growth, development and funding needs of
the beneficiaries as well as it will assure the loan amount to be allotted by Micro
Units Development and Refinance Agency Bank.
Essay Topics
1. India needs second green revolution
2. Doubling farmers income in 6 years
3. Does Indian agriculture have become a profession of loss (
).
4. Has Indian Agriculture Become Crowded and Risky?
5. Farmers suicides : causes and solution
6. GM crops Issues and prospects
7. Making India a manufacturing hub
8. Demographic dividend: Boon or bane?
9. Young India: From Job Seekers to Job creators.
10. Jobless growth: Causes and solutions
11. Will Technology will replace manpower and lead to job
loss?