“Direct” relief to farmers! Govt working on direct transfer of fertilizer subsidy
Total Views |
New Delhi, Jun 6: Subsidy for fertilizer is the most important relief measure for farmers. Now, making this easier, the government is seriously thinking of giving fertilizer subsidy directly to farmers under the 2nd phase of implementation of direct benefit transfer (DBT) scheme.
In October 2017, the first phase of fertilizer DBT was disturbed, under which subsidy is being moved to companies after checking retail sales data captured through the Point of Sale (PoS) machines.
The government endures ₹ 70,000 crores annually as fertilizer subsidy to provide cheaper farm nutrient to farmers. As per the official statement, “We want to try giving fertilizer subsidy directly into farmers’ bank accounts. Now, there is a thinking in this line. Now, we are ready for phase two implementation. When and how -- that is under discussion”.
Further, an official statement stated, the government is planning to bring some improvement in the existing fertilizer DBT by allowing retailers to use desktop or laptop along with PoS machines for smooth operation.
Now, The DBT platform is based on a PoS machine. We are coming out with desktop or laptop version. Since the PoS machine has a small screen, retailers sometimes face operational issues. In addition to PoS, retailers can have a desktop or laptop.
Initially, there were hiccups in implementing the DBT, but over the time those issues have been resolved, he said adding that the government now wants to focus on improving upon capturing the strength of the platform.
The government paid a fertilizer subsidy of ₹ 74,000 crores during 2018-19 fiscal. About ₹ 78,000 crores have been budgeted for paying fertilizer subsidy in the current 2019-20 fiscal.
