Una farmers to get subsidy in bank accounts

Lalit Mohan

Tribune News Service

Dharamsala, December 4

The Union Government has implemented the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) Scheme for fertilisers in Una district.

The implications of the scheme will be that in a phased manner farmers in Una district will get cash subsidy in their accounts and will have to purchase fertilisers at market rates. At present, the farmers get urea at subsidised rates. In Himachal, the fertilisers are purchased by agriculture societies at the village level. These are then bought by the farmers. The subsidy is transferred by the Union Government to fertiliser making companies.

Una Deputy Commissioner Vikas Labroo said as a first step, they were purchasing EPOS machines for the agriculture societies in the district. The machines would maintain data regarding the amount of fertilisers being used by the farmers. The entire data would be linked to their Aadhaar cards, he said.

“At present, we have not received directions from the Union Government as to when cash will be transferred in the accounts of the farmers and they will be asked to purchase fertilisers at market rates. We are just implementing the directions received in the first phase of the DBT for the fertiliser project,” he said.

Sources said under the DBT scheme for fertilisers, revenue records of the farmers’ land and soil health would also be linked with the Aadhaar cards.

The scheme was conceived during the stint of the previous UPA government, but was being practically implemented by the present NDA government, they said. It is being implemented in 16 districts across the country.

In Una district, the farmers get urea at subsidised rates (Rs 260 per bag). Studies have indicated that the subsidised fertiliser is either misused or stolen. Data available with the Government of India revealed that nitrogenous fertilisers were making way to even those areas where it was not used. The subsidised fertilisers were being used in chemical industry, it was learnt.

The Government of India intends to check the theft of subsidised fertilizers and their misuse by the farmers. In case, the rates of fertilisers are linked with the market or are not controlled by the government, the farmers may face difficulties. The pilot DBT project will help the government understand the practical problems in the implementation of the scheme.