PM Pranam Scheme: Details and Key Feature Explained

The meeting held by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on June 28th 2023, introduced the PM Pranam Scheme nationwide. PM PRANAM stands for “Programs for Restoration, Awareness Generation, Nourishment, and Amelioration of Mother Earth”. This program was approved by the government with the vision of improving the natural ecosystem and keeping the earth healthy with positive initiatives to minimise adverse effects. The objectives of the PM Pranam scheme can only be achieved by ensuring collective effort from the ruler as well as urban areas throughout the nation. This program holds significant value as it aims to prioritise positive environmental changes with the introduction of sustainable agricultural practices across India.

What is the PM Pranam Scheme?

The PM Pranam scheme was first discussed in the national Union Budget of 2023 with the vision to minimise the dependency on chemical fertiliser within the farming sector. This programme focuses on provisioning natural fertilisers as an alternative to chemicals to improve the land sustainability and the overall health of Mother Earth. Another essential aspect of the PM Pranam programme is to focus on natural resources conservation and promote organic farmers within rural as well as urban areas. This scheme was introduced with the vision to tackle the challenges of providing economic chemical fertilisers with the minimisation of environmental risks throughout the agriculture industry. PM Pranam Scheme grants 50% of the retained fertiliser subsidy to limit the usage of chemical fertilised as compared to the last three years across union territories and respective states.

Farmers' pursuit to attain higher crop production every year results in the excessive use of pesticides and chemical based fertilisers that not only reduce production capability but also make our mother earth polluted. The PM Pranam Scheme address this issue by promoting the adoption of soil test fertiliser to ensure balanced nutrition for the soil. This governmental approach, with the assistance of farmers, can enhance soil fertility and boost long-term productive and agricultural sustainability. Thus, the PM Pranam scheme is considered to be a groundbreaking initiative encouraging environmental preservation and sustainable agriculture practice on a large scale.

Key Feature of the PM Pranam Scheme

Financial Aspects

PM Pranam Scheme incorporate financing opportunity from the existing fertiliser subsidies savings, which is monitored by the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilisers throughout the nation. There is no specific budget for this scheme but it utilises the subsidy of chemical fertilisers to minimise chemical exploitation across the union territory and states. Thus, financial balancing associated with the PM Pranam scheme makes it valuable in terms of better return on investment for the central government.

‍Grants and Savings

In the financial year 2022-2023, the valuation for Chemical Fertilisers Subsidy was around 3.55 Lakh Crore Indian Rupees. This indicates the presence of proper funds for grant allocation. The central government is going to provide 50% of the subsidy savings to the states as a grant associated with the subsidy of chemical fertiliser. The 70% valuation of the grants can be utilised for promoting the technological adoption across the agricultural practices. This will assist in utilising non-chemical based fertiliser across the production phase to minimise negative environmental impacts. Furthermore, the remaining 30% grant valuation will be utilised as grants to encourage stakeholders to limit fertiliser usage and increase natural practice awareness.

‍Fertiliser Reduction

The PM Pranam scheme holds importance as it comprises the objective to calculate the reduction of fertiliser usage at the state level to ensure proper implementation. This program will keep track of urea consumption across different states, which will be compared to the last three years of average urea consumption in respective areas. Moreover, this calculation will provide a realistic understanding of the success of subsidy-based grants and take proper action based on the outcomes.

‍Sustainable Agriculture Awareness

The PM Pranam scheme was introduced with the objective of creating awareness for the adoption of sustainable agriculture practices like the usage of organic and biofertilisers. This will assist in improving the soil fertility and long-term productivity across the agricultural industry with a reduction of environmental impact. PM Pranam scheme encourages state and union territories to minimise the usage of chemical fertilisers. By limiting the consumption of chemical fertilisers like MOP, DAP, Urea and NPK, the preservation of soil health can be attained. Overall, this scheme contributes to elevating water health and reducing air pollution nationwide.

Eligibility of the PM Pranam Scheme

The PM Pranam scheme is not based on the eligibility of individual farmers but on motivating the union territories and states to limit the dependence on chemical fertilisers. Every state and union territory is eligible for this scheme, which will be utilised as grand money from the savings of fertiliser subsidy to ensure nationwide benefits. Department of Expenditure is going to supervise the grant disbursement across the respective states. The eligibility of states and union territories will be measured by analysing the success of their reduction in chemical fertiliser usage across the agricultural practices. PM Pranam scheme is expected to showcase 19,450 crore of financial gain, leading to economic efficiency and environmental protection.

Conclusion

The PM Pranam Scheme is essential for minimising the dependency on chemical fertilisers and promoting organic fertilisers throughout all states and union territories. This programme also encourages adoption of natural farming procedures and technologies for conserving resources such as micro irrigation, crop rotation and integrated farming systems.

FAQs

Question 1: When was the PM Pranam Scheme introduced?

The PM Pranam scheme was introduced by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on June 28th 2023.

Question 2: Who is eligible for the PM Pranam Scheme?

All states and union territories are eligible for the PM Pranam scheme based on their success in minimising the chemical fertiliser consumption across the agriculture practices.

Question 3: What is the Fertiliser Subsidy?

The fertiliser subsidy is a dedicated monetary allocation for fertiliser usage. For a detailed guide, go through the SWIPE blog on “Fertiliser Subsidy Scheme”.