Pradhan Mantri Annadata Aay SanraksHan Abhiyan (PM-AASHA)
It aims to ensure farmers receive fair prices for their produce and manage price volatility of essential commodities.
Announced in the Union Budget for 2018.
PM-AASHA will now have the components of :
Price Support Scheme (PSS)
Price Stabilisation Fund (PSF)
Price Deficit Payment Scheme (PDPS)
Market Intervention Scheme (MIS)
Price Support Scheme (PSS)
Under the PSS, Central nodal agencies will procure pulses, oilseeds and copra with proactive role of state governments.
The Food corporation of India (FCI) and the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (NAFED) will help implement the scheme.
The procurement expenditure and losses due to procurement will be borne by Central Government as per norms.
The government will procure 25% of the marketable surplus of farmers for eligible crops.
The Centre has made a provision of about Rs 16,000 crores to be provided as bank guarantee for the agencies to procure from farmers.
Price Stabilisation Fund (PSF)
PSF was created in 2014-15 to manage extreme price volatility of selected commodities.
Goods are procured directly from farmers or farmers' organizations and sold to consumers at affordable prices.
Any losses between the Centre and states during operations are shared.
The fund is used to stabilize prices by acquiring and distributing commodities as needed.
PSF provides interest-free loans to State Governments, Union Territories, and Central Agencies for procurement and distribution expenses.
In April 2016, the PSF scheme was transferred from the Ministry of Agriculture to the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution.
Managed by the Price Stabilisation Fund Management Committee (PSFMC), which approves proposals from states and agencies.
The Small Farmers Agribusiness Consortium (SFAC) manages the PSF as a central corpus fund.
Price Deficit Payment Scheme (PDPS)
Under the PDPS, the state will provide the difference between the prices prevailing in mandis and the MSP.
All oil-seeds are to be covered under PDPS.
This scheme is modelled on the Bhawantar Bhugtan Yojana that has been implemented by the Madhya Pradesh state government as well as Bhavantar Bharpai Yojana of Haryana Government.
There will be no physical procurement of crops.
Market Intervention Scheme (MIS)
It is implemented by the Department of Agriculture & Cooperation, Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers' Welfare.
The objective of MIS is to provide remunerative prices to the farmers in case of excess of production and fall in prices.
The MIS is an ad-hoc scheme under which include horticultural commodities and other agricultural commodities.
These commodities are perishable in nature and which are not covered under the minimum price support scheme.
Further, the MIS is implemented on the specific requests of the State Government/UT Administrations willing to share the loss with the Central Government on a 50:50 basis (75:25 in case of North-Eastern States).
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