About PM-PRANAM Scheme
PM Programme for Restoration, Awareness, Generation, Nourishment and Amelioration of Mother Earth
- It would promote use of nutrient-based, biofertilizers for sustainable agriculture.
- It would have a total outlay of ₹3,70,128.7 crore.
- Under this Centre would incentivise States which would adopt alternative fertilizers with the subsidy that was saved by reducing the use of chemical fertilizers.
How it works:
- If a State was using 10 lakh tonnes of conventional fertilizers and reduced its consumption by three lakh tonnes, then the subsidy saving would be ‚Çπ3,000 crore.
- Out of that subsidy savings, the Centre will give 50% of it – ‚Çπ1,500 crore to the State for promoting the use of alternative fertilizer and other development works.
- It will incentivize states to promote alternative fertilizers and reduce the use of chemical fertilizers.
Other Important Decisions taken by Cabinet:
Urea subsidy scheme
- It approved continuation of the urea subsidy scheme for three years to ensure constant availability of urea to the farmers.
- This is apart from recently approved nutrient-based subsidy of ₹38,000 crore for the Kharif season for 2023-24.
- By 2025-26, eight nano urea plants with production capacity of 44 crore bottles, equalling to 195 lakh tonnes of conventional urea, will be commissioned.
Promoting organic fertiliser
- It approved ₹1,451.84 crore has been approved for Market Development Assistance (MDA) for promoting organic fertilizers from Gobardhan plants.
- Fermented Organic Manures (FOM)/Liquid FOM/Phosphate Rich Organic Manures (PROM) produced as by-product from bio-gas plants/Compressed Biogas (CBG) plants set up under umbrella Gobardhan initiative will be promoted.
- Such organic fertilizers would be branded in the names of Bharat Brand FOM, LFOM and PROM.
- This on one hand will facilitate in addressing the challenge of management of crop residue and problems of stubble burning, and will also help in keeping the environment clean and safe and at the same time provide an additional source of income for farmers.
Increased the Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP)
- It hiked the Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) of sugarcane by ₹10 per quintal. The FRP for the sugar season 2023-24 (October-September) will be ₹315 per quintal for a basic recovery rate of 10.25%. Last year, the amount was ₹305.
- Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP): the minimum price that mills have to pay to sugarcane growers. It is determined by the Government based on the recommendations of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP).
