Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana

The Union Cabinet has approved Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY). The ambitious scheme aims at providing irrigation facilities to every village in India by converging ongoing irrigation schemes implemented by various ministries. The scheme with an outlay of Rs 50,000 crore spread over a period of five years starting from 2015-16. A sum of Rs 5,300 crore has been allocated in the current financial year for the programme.

National Common Agriculture Market

The department of agriculture has made a proposal to create a national common agriculture market, by digitally integrating more than 580 regulated mandis or wholesale markets across the country by 2017-18. The estimated cost of the project is Rs 200 crore.  In the initial phase, the central government will identify 50 mandis across five states and grant an allocation of Rs 30 lakh for setting up of hardware and infrastructure for digital integration.  The funding will not be available for private mandis, but they will have access to the e-platform.

Online National Agri-Market

Cabinet has approved the setting up of an online national agriculture market that will provide more options to farmers for selling their produce. Currently, farmers are restricted to selling their produce at mandis or market committees that charge various taxes on producers. An online platform would be set up wherein farmers will be able to sell and buy fruits, vegetables and other produce from across the country.

The move is expected to give choice to farmers to sell the farm produce both in physical mandis or online platform.