What Is PM Pranam Yojana? Scheme To Restore, Nourish And Promote Sustainable Farming Through Alternative Fertiliser

The scheme is to incentivise States and Union Territories to promote alternative fertilisers and balanced use of chemical fertilisers.

The Cabinet on Wednesday gave its nod to PM-PRANAM Yojana for the farmers.

Source : Getty

The Cabinet on Wednesday gave its nod to PM-PRANAM Yojana for the farmers. The Cabinet also approved a package of Rs 3,68,000 crores for the continuation of the Urea Subsidy Scheme. Let us try to under what the scheme is about.

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in Budget 2023, had announced the launch of “PM Pranam Yojana” for the promotion of alternative Fertilisers and balanced use of chemical fertilisers. 

What Is PM-PRANAM Yojana?  

The Yojana stands for Programme for Restoration, Awareness, Nourishment and Amelioration of Mother Earth (PRANAM). The scheme is to incentivise States and Union Territories to promote alternative fertilisers and balanced use of chemical fertilisers. This scheme seeks to reduce the use of chemical fertilisers in the states.

The scheme will not have a separate budget and will be financed by the “savings of existing fertiliser subsidy” under schemes run by the Department of fertilisers, The Indian Express reported citing sources 

50% subsidy savings will be given as a grant to the state that saves the money. Out of the total grant given to the state under the scheme, 70% can be used for asset creation related to the technological adoption of alternative fertilisers and alternative fertiliser production units at village, block, and district levels. , as reported by The Indian Express.

The remaining 30% can be utilised for incentivising farmers, panchayats, farmer-producer organisations, and self-help groups that are involved in the reduction of fertiliser use and awareness generation.

Earlier in February, Nirmala Sitharaman tabled the annual Budget for the fiscal year 2023-24. The annual Union Budget 2023 included multiple schemes for farmers as well to nudge farmers in the direction of green farming. Sitharaman said, Over the next 3 years, we will facilitate 1 crore farmers to adopt natural farming. For this, 10,000 Bio-Input Resource Centres will be set up, creating a national-level distributed micro-Fertilisers and pesticide manufacturing network. 

In her speech, Sitharaman said, “PM Programme for Restoration, Awareness, Nourishment and Amelioration of Mother Earth’ (PM Pranam) will be launched to incentivize States and Union Territories to promote alternative Fertiliserss and balanced use of chemical Fertiliserss.”

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