Kisan Sarvoday Yojana
The change in the scheme’s name became known on Tuesday in a government release that announced its virtual launching by the PM on October 24.
Gujarat Budget 2021: With an allocation of nearly Rs 7,500 crore towards agriculture, farmer welfare, and cooperative related activities, the Gujarat budget 2020-21 aims to boost farmers’ income. The proposals in the budget range from providing electricity to farmers during day time to cow-based natural farming. The budget themed “Welfare of Farmers-from Field to the Market” targets to double farmers’ income by 2022. With an aim to provide electricity to farmers during day time, the Gujarat budget 2021 proposed the Dinkar Yojana. The state government currently provides nearly eight hours of electricity to farmers mostly after nightfall. “Our government is providing sufficient power connections, constant and qualitative power supply to farmers. Now we have decided to provide power supply to farmers during day time to satisfy their long-standing demand. As part thereof, I announce the new Dinkar Yojana,” Gujarat Finance Minister Nitin Patel said in the budget speech.
The proposed allocation of Rs 50 crore for cow-based natural farming, encouraging farmers to shift to natural farming. The scheme is worth Rs 50 crore and aims to provide assistance of Rs 900 per month or Rs 10,800 per year. Cow dung manure and Jivamrut will be used by farmers for natural farming. The government also proposes to provide Rs 1000 crore towards part interest component of the short-term loan at zero percent interest.
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Dinkar is the Gujarati word for the sun. The scheme was announced by the Gujarat government in its last state budget. With a total expenditure of around Rs 3,500 crore, the state government has a plan to provide electricity to all the farmers for agriculture purposes during daytime by 2022.
In the first phase of the scheme, 1,055 villages of Dahod, Junagadh and Gir Somnath districts will start getting electricity for agriculture purposes in the daytime. The scheme targets around 17.25 lakh farmers in the state. Under the scheme, farmers will get electricity in two slots of eight hours each between 5 am and 9 pm. It has been a long pending demand of farmers in Gujarat to get electricity for agriculture purposes during daytime since they risk exposure to poisonous insects and wild animals in the fields during night hours, among other reasons.
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As per the release, there are total around 17.25 lakh agriculture power connections, divided into 153 groups, in the state. These groups are getting three-phase power connections for eight hours in 24 hours. These groups get power supply in such a manner that some get power supply for eight hours in day, some get power supply in night and some get power supply partially in day and partially in night. Their turns rotate every week.
Availability of power in the day time and infrastructure to distribute the power are believed to be the major reasons why all the farmers are not getting the same in the daytime. So, to provide electricity to farmers in the day time, the government is upgrading its power infrastructure and increasing the power availability through renewable energy sources like solar energy and wind energy.