Focusing on health of farmers, the government has decided to re-introduce the “Yeshaswini” health insurance scheme. The popular scheme, which is slightly modified from the earlier one, envisages to provide access to quality medical facilities to farming families with a financial allocation of ₹300 crore.
Under the interest subsidy scheme, it has been planned to disburse ₹24,000 crore of agricultural loans to a total of 33 lakh farmers this financial year. Of these, three lakh beneficiaries would be new farmers., according to the State Budget, presented by Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Friday.
Though the procurement prices of milk continues to keep low, they have something to cheer about as the government has proposed to set up “Ksheera Samruddhi Sahakara Bank” to ensure that they get hassle-free loans. A share capital of ₹100 crore will be provided by the State Government and a total of ₹260 crore will be provided by the Milk Producers’ Co-operative Society, Karnataka Milk Federation and District Milk Unions for setting up such a bank.
Also, efforts are being made to set up a mega milk dairy of one lakh litre capacity in Haveri district, said the State Budget. In all, the Budget has provided ₹33,700 crore for agriculture and allied sectors.
The Budget announced a new scheme titled ‘Raitha Shakti’ to provide diesel subsidy of ₹250 per acre to encourage the use of farm machinery and and reduce the burden of fuel. The scheme under which subsidy would be transferred to the bank accounts of farmers through DBT, subject to a maximum of five acres. The Budget has earmarked ₹500 crore for this scheme.
In addition to this, the Krishi Yantradhare Centres will be extended to all hoblis in the State to make farm machinery affordable to small and marginal farmers. For conservation of water, it has been decided to provide provide 90% subsidy to SC and ST beneficiaries and 75% subsidy to other farmers to promote drip irrigation for horticultural crops.
In order to promote natural farming, the Budget has proposed to take up a study on nitrogen fixation and bio-analytical techniques in natural farming through agricultural/horticultural universities in an area of 1,000 acre each and will be extended to farmers’ lands.
