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Friday / November 8. 2024
HomePosts Tagged "Agriculture Infrastructure Fund"

The regional conference held at Krishi Bhawan, New Delhi, highlighted the importance of operationalizing SNA-SPARSH, for fostering growth, and supporting farmers across all regions of Northern States

The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare held a regional conference at Krishi Bhawan, New Delhi, to conduct a midterm review of agricultural schemes implemented by Northern States. Key officials from Punjab, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, and the Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, and Delhi gathered to evaluate progress and address challenges in the effective implementation of these schemes. During the meeting, Secretary Dr. Devesh Chaturvedi urged states to expedite the execution of Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CSS) by ensuring timely fund allocation and addressing issues related to state contributions and Single Nodal Account (SNA) balances.

The initiative focused on improving implementation of major schemes, including Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) and Krishonnati Yojana, where non-performing states were encouraged to enhance their efforts in the remaining months of the fiscal year. Dr. Chaturvedi also advised states to finalize the RKVY annual action plan for FY 2025-26 by December to enable timely release of the first installment by April, aiming to reduce previous delays in fund utilization. A comprehensive review of key initiatives took place, covering the Kisan Credit Card (KCC) Mission for enhancing credit access, the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) for risk mitigation and expanded crop insurance, and the Digital Agriculture Mission for advancing data-driven agriculture. The conference highlighted the need for digital integration in crop surveys and the alignment of state land records with the Agristack to streamline operations under PM KISAN.

The meeting also discussed high-priority topics, including the National Edible Oils Mission, NABL accreditation for laboratories under the Insecticides Act, and the efficient use of the Krishi Nivesh Portal and Agricultural Infrastructure Fund (AIF) to foster sector growth.

Shri Ajeet Kumar Sahu, Joint Secretary (IC, Oilseeds & Credit), set the agenda for the review and welcomed delegates from the agriculture departments of Northern States, as well as representatives from allied departments including Tribal Affairs, NABARD, and Cooperation.

Senior officials from the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, including Additional Secretaries Ms. Manindar Kaur, Dr. Pramod Kumar Meherda, Mr. Faiz Ahmed Kidwai, Ms. Shubha Thakur, and Joint Secretaries Mr. Praveen Kumar Singh, Mr. Samuel Praveen Kumar, Ms. Perin Devi, Mr. Muktanand Agrawal, Mr. Prabhat Kumar, Mr. Binod Kumar, Mr. Priya Ranjan, and Mr. Purna Chandra Kishan, as well as representatives from the Ministry of Cooperation, NABARD, and the Department of Financial Services.were the other key attendees of the conference.

The regional conference held at Krishi Bhawan,

SBI will provide loans at the market rate to the customers of IoTech World Aviation without any mortgage, a 3 per cent concession in interest.

State Bank of India (SBI) and drone manufacturer IoTech World have come together to provide agri-drones to farmers at affordable prices and low loans. The two companies signed a formal agreement. The SBI will give loans at 3 per cent less than the market rate to the farmers, who buy agricultural drones from IoTech World Company.

Deepak Bhardwaj, the co-founder IoTech World, said that the SBI will provide loans at the market rate to the customers of IoTech World Aviation without any mortgage, a 3 per cent concession in interest. This exemption will be given under the Government of India’s Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF).

Bhardwaj said that Agri-drones will prove a boon for India’s agriculture sector. The loan facility provided by SBI will prove to be very helpful for those farmers who were not able to buy drones due to a lack of institutional finance facilities.”

Anup Upadhyay, IoTech World Navigation co-founder said drones help in the optimum use of fertilizers and pesticides in agriculture, thereby reducing the cost of farming. The use of agriculture-drone is not only helpful in increasing the yield, but also saves a lot of time. Agri-drones are going to prove a miracle for Indian agriculture. It is noteworthy that IoTech World Navigation was started in the year 2017. This company manufactures agricultural drones.

SBI will provide loans at the market

With the DGCA certificate, AG 365 drone is now eligible for Rs 10 lakh unsecured loans from the AIF

India’s leading drone manufacturer, Marut Drones’ has received the Type Certification approvals from the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) for its tested and robustly designed multi-utility agricultural drone AG 365. “AG 365 is designed and developed for Indian conditions and can be used for multiple purposes giving a higher ROI to the user. AG 365 is extensively tested for more than 1.5 lakh acres and optimised for performance to be used in agriculture. Further, extensive research is undergone with AG 365 for development of crop-specific drone spraying SOPs in collaboration with agricultural universities and research institutes,” the drone manufacturer said.

Having been awarded a type certificate for AG 365 model, the drone is now eligible for INR 10 lakh unsecured loans from the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF) at a minimal 5-6 per cent interest rate. Further, a 50-100 per cent subsidy can be availed from the Government of India. The made-in-India Kisan Drone – AG 365 has been developed particularly for agricultural purposes to reduce crop loss, lower agrochemical usage, better yield and profits to the farmers, the company said.

With the DGCA certificate, AG 365 drone