THE GIST of Editorial for UPSC Exams : 25 May 2020 (For farms and farmers: on launching of Rajiv Gandhi KisanNyay Yojana (The Hindu))

For farms and farmers: on launching of Rajiv Gandhi KisanNyay Yojana(The Hindu)

Mains Paper 3:Economy
Prelims level: Rajiv Gandhi KisanNyay Yojana
Mains level: Highlights of the Rajiv Gandhi KisanNyay Yojana

Context:

The Rajiv Gandhi KisanNyay Yojana launched by Chhattisgarh last week aims to supplement the income of the State’s 18 lakh rice, maize and sugarcane farmers by ₹10,000 to ₹13,000 per acre, through direct cash transfers.
Besides the Centre’s PM-KISAN scheme that provides ₹6,000 to farm families owning less than five acres of land, Telangana, Odisha and Andhra Pradesh have similar cash transfer programmes for farmers.

Minimum Support Price:

For balancing the interests of the consumer and the farmer, India has an extensive Minimum Support Price (MSP) regime which works in combination with the PDS.
But the efficiency of neither MSP procurements nor the PDS is uniform across the country.
The Centre says it fixes MSPs at 1.5 ................

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Chhattisgarh example:

In Chhattisgarh, there is preliminary evidence that tenants managed better rates from owners last year after the government gave incentives over and above MSPs to farmers.
The State is now designing a cash transfer scheme for landless labourers, according to Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel.
But these interventions are only palliativeand cannot address the underlying problem, which is the non-remunerative nature of farming.

Market Driven Approach:

A more market-driven approach has often been proposed as the solution, and the agriculture-related components in the Centre’s response to the economic crisis caused by the pandemic appear to toe that line.
However, many previous arguments ...............................................

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Way forward:

For now, the Centre must announce the MSPs for the current season at the earliest — late announcements have added to the uncertainties for the farmers in recent years.
The creation of a buoyantagriculture sector will take much more, and those efforts must be made on a war-footing. Income support serves a purpose, but the farm sector needs a lot more.
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General Studies Pre. Cum Mains Study Materials

Prelims Questions:

Q1. With reference to the 61st Cavalry, consider the following statements:
1. It is the only active serving horse cavalry regiment in the world.
2. The 61st Cavalry was raised in 1953 after amalgamating the horse-mounted cavalry units of the erstwhile princely states of British India.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2