Farmers first: A reflection on Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi Scheme
Author: Sanjay Agarwal
New Delhi: While the share of the agriculture sector in India’s economy has progressively increased in the last few years, the sector’s importance in India’s economic and social fabric goes well beyond this indicator. First, nearly three-quarters of India’s families depend on rural incomes and the country's food security depends on producing cereal crops, as well as increasing its production of fruits and vegetables, to meet the demands of a growing population with rising incomes. To do so, a productive, competitive, diversified, and sustainable agriculture sector will need to emerge at an accelerated pace.
With this background, the Government of India is committed to initiate policy actions and public programs to lay a solid foundation for a much more inclusive, productive, internationally competitive, and diversified agricultural sector – a vision nurtured by none other than Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Many economists suggest that certain types of sustained financial support to the farmers to augment their incomes and to enable them to take care of expenses related to agriculture and allied activities as well as domestic needs, is far better than resorting to farm waiver.
Considering the need for such positive supplementary income support for the farmer families in the country, Prime Minister Modi, on 24.02.2019, launched an ambitious, one of its kind scheme for farmers’ welfare - the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN). Under the scheme, the eligible farmer families are provided a benefit of Rs. 6000/- per year in three equal installments of Rs. 2000/- each, every four months. The benefit is transferred directly to the bank accounts of eligible beneficiaries through Direct Benefit Transfer mode, using modern digital technology.
Since the launch of this path breaking scheme, there has been no looking back. The scheme has since crossed many milestones and has received accolades from various organizations, including the World Bank, for its sheer vision, scale and seamless transfer of funds directly to the accounts of eligible farmers. A study conducted by International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) on farmers of Uttar Pradesh indicates that the benefits under the PM-Kisan reached the majority of farmers and they received full amount without any leakages. As per the same study, the scheme has significantly helped those who are relatively more dependent on agriculture.
So far, more than 11 crore eligible farmer families have received the benefits under PM-KISAN after getting error free, verified, and validated data from the State/UT Governments. A total amount of more than Rs 160982 crore has been released to the eligible families. To top it, Rs 107484 crore has been transferred to farmers under the PM-KISAN scheme during the COVID period. In the current financial year 2021-22 itself, an amount of more than Rs 44,689 Crore has already been released and with the 10th installment released by the Prime minister on 01.01.2022, this amount is expected to cross well over Rs 65,000 crore. As is usual with schemes of this gigantic scale, the implementation of the PM-KISAN has successfully faced numerous challenges. The scheme is being implemented with continuous improvements in the shape, modalities, and mechanism of transfer of funds.
Several procedural interventions and campaigns have been implemented from time to time to ensure smooth and speedy transfer of financial benefits to the beneficiaries. According to the situation, the operational guidelines of the scheme have been revised from time-to-time to ensure that all the States contribute to this noble cause for the welfare of the farmers of the country. The scheme has truly been a shining example of cooperative federalism. Farmer’s enrollment under the scheme has now been simplified.
The Common Service Centers (CSCs) across the country have also been authorized on payment of nominal fee to register the farmers for the scheme. To make the registration of farmers even more user-friendly, a special mobile app has also been launched by the Government of India. The States/UTs have also been asked to conduct social audits at the Gram Sabha level to bring in greater transparency in implementation of the scheme. Some States have, in fact, have already completed the social audit in all the Gram Sabhas.
Our agricultural institutes have been in the forefront when it comes to registration of the farmers and helping them make use of the benefits received under PM-KISAN. No wonder that the PM-KISAN beneficiaries saw a 36-percentage-point higher adoption of modern technologies when they accessed KVKs (Krishi Vigyan Kendra), implying that the presence of PM-KISAN has magnification effects on KVKs. It confirms that there was a significant role of PM-KISAN in stimulating the adoption of modern technologies through KVKs, which, in turn, provides a pathway to encourage farmers to make productive investments in the agriculture sector.
As per the IFPRI study, the farmers receiving cash transfers under the PM-KISAN were more likely to invest in buying seeds, fertilizer, and pesticides. Also, as per the studies done during the Covid-19 lockdown, the fungibility of funds received under the government transfer package was statistically significant in alleviating credit constraints and increasing agricultural investments in agricultural inputs. During conversations directly with some of the beneficiaries from multiple states, one of the farmers, Yashwant Singh, who is a small farmer from Khirsu village in Pauri Garhwal of Uttarakhand revealed that he grows all types of pulses in his 0.40 hectares of land and he uses PM KISAN benefits to purchase seeds and other raw materials like pipes which are essential for efficient and productive farming.
He believes that PM KISAN has increased his income, both directly and indirectly by providing him with extra support for raw materials for his crops and has become an important aid for most of his farming needs. Likewise, Rakesh Kumar, a farmer from Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir is a regular farmer who owns 4 acres of land. He grows sugarcane in his lands and arranging fertilizers and pesticides for his crops was difficult during covid pandemic. But, when he received his benefits under PM-KISAN, it was really a big relief for him and his family. With the help of this money, he managed to purchase seeds, fertilizers and pesticide in time.
Undoubtedly, the significance of PM-KISAN is that, for the first time, an attempt has been made to transfer income directly to farmers without using price policy (of either inputs or output). It provides support to small, marginal and needy farmers who struggle to invest in agriculture inputs or technology. It can serve as an important complement to a broader rural development agenda, including a pro-farmer growth strategy focusing on agriculture, and ultimately leading to increase in income of the farmers.
As per the IFPRI study, the disbursement of cash transfers in many States/UTs showed that PM-KISAN benefits proved to be relief packages in advance for the vulnerable farmers of the country. Overall, 89-94 per cent of households in these States benefited from direct cash transfers. Lower transaction costs, minimal leakages, and immediate delivery make a strong case for direct cash transfers to such farmers. It is obvious to reflect on the stupendous impact this scheme has had on the lives of the farmers by directly benefiting them in times of their need, with no one between them and the Prime Minister of India. /PIB/
(The author is Secretary, Department of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Government of India. The views are his personal.)
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NEP-2020 aspires for inclusive excellence in school education
Rajeev Ranjan Roy
The New Education Policy-2020 (NEP-2020), unveiled recently, aims at achieving excellence in school learning by imparting quality, affordable and inclusive education to all, with an extra emphasis on those children coming from socially and educationally disadvantaged groups of the society. It is a futuristic endeavour towards building Ek Bharat, Shrestha Bharat. The previous education policies largely focussed on the issues of access and equity in giving school education, while the NEP-2020 commits to laying the foundation of a vibrant Bharat where no one is devoid of a kind of school education, which helps every student become an asset for the nation in a true sense. The unfinished agenda of the National Policy on Education 1986, which was modified in 1992, has been effectively dealt with in the NEP-2020 along with the vision behind the Right to the Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009, which “laid down legal underpinnings for achieving universal elementary education.”
Given the undisputed role of education in nation building, the NEP-2020 rightly lays the stress on standardization and accreditation of school infrastructure and teachers as well, since education with accountability, transparency and affordability is the need of the hour, and hence the need to “empower schools, teachers with trust, enabling them to strive for excellence and perform at their very best, while ensuring the integrity of the system through the enforcement of complete transparency and full public disclosure of all finances, procedures and outcomes.” Since private sector is significantly present in the field of school education, the idea to promote ‘not-for-profit’ entities is a unique feature of NEP-2020, which at the same time intends to promote private philanthropic efforts for quality education, thereby affirming the public-good nature of education, while protecting parents and communities from arbitrary increase in tuition fees.
An equally important area, which has got due attention in the NEP-2020 is the need for efficient resourcing and effective governance through school complexes and clusters, a significant initiative in view of the fact that nearly 28 per cent of India’s public primary schools and 14.8 per cent of upper primary schools have less than 30 students. The average number of students per grade in the elementary schooling system – Grades 1 to 8 – is about 14, with a notable proportion having below six students during 2016-17, the year which also had 1,08,017 single-teacher schools, and majority of them – 85,743 – being primary schools taking care of Grades 1-5 children. It was, therefore, a pressing need to evolve a mechanism for establishing a grouping structure, say, school complexes, consisting of one secondary school together with all other schools, which lead to greater resource efficiency and more effective functioning, coordination, leadership, governance, and management of schools in the cluster. This will not only ensure optimum utilisation of resources, but will also foster the sense of oneness and togetherness among the school children, who are the future of the nation.
What further makes the New Education Policy-2020 uniquely special is its pledge for equitable and inclusive education for all, one of the great dreams of our founding fathers. Education, as the NEP-2020 rightly envisions, is “the single greatest tool for achieving social justice and quality.” Inclusive and equitable education, indeed an essential goal in its own right, is also critical to achieving a social order where every citizen has “the opportunity to dream, thrive, and contribute to the nation.” Quality, affordable and ethical education to all is the first move to break multiple social and economic barriers, which sow the seeds of exclusion, discrimination and exploitation against our own people on different parochial considerations.
Needless to say efforts were made in the past as well to bridge the educational chasm between socially and educationally disadvantaged groups (SEDGs) and the children of top social strata, but the desired results remained elusive. SEDGs account for the country’s overwhelming population, but their children’s share in quality school educational institutions has been minimal over the years. Early childhood care and education (ECCE) needs to be handled more comprehensively. According to the Unified-District Information System for Education (U-DISE) 2016-17 data, about 19.6 per cent of students belonged to Scheduled Castes (SCs) at the primary level, but this fraction fell to 17.3 per cent at the higher secondary level. These enrollment drop-outs were more severe for ST students (10.6 per cent to 6.8 per cent), and differently-abled children (1.1 per cent to 0.25 per cent), with even greater declines for female students within each of these categories. Thus, there is no scope for any complacency on the part of the government. A series of interventions including better facilities, more and more hostels, scholarships and other enabling support have been provisioned in the NEP-2020 so that the idea of ‘learning for all’ is realised in a more comprehensive manner.
Teachers are not only an integral part of an education system, but the most important stakeholder in the entire gamut of things. Their quality and ability to teach school students, when they are in their formative age, become something of paramount importance. From their recruitment to training, every precaution needs to be taken to ensure that school education is not rendered to a mere formality, but becomes a game changer. The New Education Policy-2020 comes with a basket full of tools and parameters to ensure holistic training and upgradation of teachers and their teaching skills in a sustainable manner. From continuous professional development (CPD) to career management and progression (CMP), the NEP-2020 vouches for a set of common guidelines – National Professional Standards for Teachers (NPST), which will be put in place by the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) in its restructured new form as the Professional Standard Setting Body (PSSB) under the General Education Council. This exercise will be carried out in consultation with National Council Educational Research and Training (NCERT), SCERTs, teachers from across levels and regions.
The teacher education will also undergo a sea-change. By 2030, the minimum degree qualification for teaching will be a 4-year integrated B.Ed. that teaches a range of knowledge content. Today B.Ed. teaching is most poorly regulated in our country ever since the standalone B.Ed. colleges were allowed to be opened up in the private sector. It is high time to take B.Ed. teaching more than seriously. The NEP-2020 stipulates that by 2021, a new and comprehensive National Curriculum Framework for Teacher Education (NCFTE-2021) will be formulated by the NCTE. NCFTE, which will also factor in the requirements of teacher education curricula for vocational education, will be revised once every 5-10 years.
In conclusion, the NEP-2020 visualizes to impart a school education which lays the foundation of a self-reliant India and also to help our country emerge as a knowledge hub. From the foundation of learning to foundational literacy and numeracy to checking drop outs and ensuring universal access to education for all and at all levels to the restructuring of school curriculum, India is in for a metamorphosis in the field of school education, recognizing, identifying and fostering the unique capabilities of each student. Tools such as multi disciplinarity, emphasis on conceptual understanding, creativity and critical thinking, ethics and human and constitutional values, full equity and inclusion, and light but tight regulatory framework are bound to do wonders. Education is a public service, a rare pursuit in nation building, which should be holistic and inclusive and must make one take pride in India and its rich, diverse, ancient and modern culture and knowledge systems and tradition. The NEP-2020 aspires so, indeed!
( The writer is a senior journalist and author. The views expressed are strictly personal.)
NEP-2020 aspires for inclusive excellence in school education
Rajeev Ranjan Roy
The New Education Policy-2020 (NEP-2020), unveiled recently, aims at achieving excellence in school learning by imparting quality, affordable and inclusive education to all, with an extra emphasis on those children coming from socially and educationally disadvantaged groups of the society. It is a futuristic endeavour towards building Ek Bharat, Shrestha Bharat. The previous education policies largely focussed on the issues of access and equity in giving school education, while the NEP-2020 commits to laying the foundation of a vibrant Bharat where no one is devoid of a kind of school education, which helps every student become an asset for the nation in a true sense. The unfinished agenda of the National Policy on Education 1986, which was modified in 1992, has been effectively dealt with in the NEP-2020 along with the vision behind the Right to the Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009, which “laid down legal underpinnings for achieving universal elementary education.”
Given the undisputed role of education in nation building, the NEP-2020 rightly lays the stress on standardization and accreditation of school infrastructure and teachers as well, since education with accountability, transparency and affordability is the need of the hour, and hence the need to “empower schools, teachers with trust, enabling them to strive for excellence and perform at their very best, while ensuring the integrity of the system through the enforcement of complete transparency and full public disclosure of all finances, procedures and outcomes.” Since private sector is significantly present in the field of school education, the idea to promote ‘not-for-profit’ entities is a unique feature of NEP-2020, which at the same time intends to promote private philanthropic efforts for quality education, thereby affirming the public-good nature of education, while protecting parents and communities from arbitrary increase in tuition fees.
An equally important area, which has got due attention in the NEP-2020 is the need for efficient resourcing and effective governance through school complexes and clusters, a significant initiative in view of the fact that nearly 28 per cent of India’s public primary schools and 14.8 per cent of upper primary schools have less than 30 students. The average number of students per grade in the elementary schooling system – Grades 1 to 8 – is about 14, with a notable proportion having below six students during 2016-17, the year which also had 1,08,017 single-teacher schools, and majority of them – 85,743 – being primary schools taking care of Grades 1-5 children. It was, therefore, a pressing need to evolve a mechanism for establishing a grouping structure, say, school complexes, consisting of one secondary school together with all other schools, which lead to greater resource efficiency and more effective functioning, coordination, leadership, governance, and management of schools in the cluster. This will not only ensure optimum utilisation of resources, but will also foster the sense of oneness and togetherness among the school children, who are the future of the nation.
What further makes the New Education Policy-2020 uniquely special is its pledge for equitable and inclusive education for all, one of the great dreams of our founding fathers. Education, as the NEP-2020 rightly envisions, is “the single greatest tool for achieving social justice and quality.” Inclusive and equitable education, indeed an essential goal in its own right, is also critical to achieving a social order where every citizen has “the opportunity to dream, thrive, and contribute to the nation.” Quality, affordable and ethical education to all is the first move to break multiple social and economic barriers, which sow the seeds of exclusion, discrimination and exploitation against our own people on different parochial considerations.
Needless to say efforts were made in the past as well to bridge the educational chasm between socially and educationally disadvantaged groups (SEDGs) and the children of top social strata, but the desired results remained elusive. SEDGs account for the country’s overwhelming population, but their children’s share in quality school educational institutions has been minimal over the years. Early childhood care and education (ECCE) needs to be handled more comprehensively. According to the Unified-District Information System for Education (U-DISE) 2016-17 data, about 19.6 per cent of students belonged to Scheduled Castes (SCs) at the primary level, but this fraction fell to 17.3 per cent at the higher secondary level. These enrollment drop-outs were more severe for ST students (10.6 per cent to 6.8 per cent), and differently-abled children (1.1 per cent to 0.25 per cent), with even greater declines for female students within each of these categories. Thus, there is no scope for any complacency on the part of the government. A series of interventions including better facilities, more and more hostels, scholarships and other enabling support have been provisioned in the NEP-2020 so that the idea of ‘learning for all’ is realised in a more comprehensive manner.
Teachers are not only an integral part of an education system, but the most important stakeholder in the entire gamut of things. Their quality and ability to teach school students, when they are in their formative age, become something of paramount importance. From their recruitment to training, every precaution needs to be taken to ensure that school education is not rendered to a mere formality, but becomes a game changer. The New Education Policy-2020 comes with a basket full of tools and parameters to ensure holistic training and upgradation of teachers and their teaching skills in a sustainable manner. From continuous professional development (CPD) to career management and progression (CMP), the NEP-2020 vouches for a set of common guidelines – National Professional Standards for Teachers (NPST), which will be put in place by the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) in its restructured new form as the Professional Standard Setting Body (PSSB) under the General Education Council. This exercise will be carried out in consultation with National Council Educational Research and Training (NCERT), SCERTs, teachers from across levels and regions.
The teacher education will also undergo a sea-change. By 2030, the minimum degree qualification for teaching will be a 4-year integrated B.Ed. that teaches a range of knowledge content. Today B.Ed. teaching is most poorly regulated in our country ever since the standalone B.Ed. colleges were allowed to be opened up in the private sector. It is high time to take B.Ed. teaching more than seriously. The NEP-2020 stipulates that by 2021, a new and comprehensive National Curriculum Framework for Teacher Education (NCFTE-2021) will be formulated by the NCTE. NCFTE, which will also factor in the requirements of teacher education curricula for vocational education, will be revised once every 5-10 years.
In conclusion, the NEP-2020 visualizes to impart a school education which lays the foundation of a self-reliant India and also to help our country emerge as a knowledge hub. From the foundation of learning to foundational literacy and numeracy to checking drop outs and ensuring universal access to education for all and at all levels to the restructuring of school curriculum, India is in for a metamorphosis in the field of school education, recognizing, identifying and fostering the unique capabilities of each student. Tools such as multi disciplinarity, emphasis on conceptual understanding, creativity and critical thinking, ethics and human and constitutional values, full equity and inclusion, and light but tight regulatory framework are bound to do wonders. Education is a public service, a rare pursuit in nation building, which should be holistic and inclusive and must make one take pride in India and its rich, diverse, ancient and modern culture and knowledge systems and tradition. The NEP-2020 aspires so, indeed!
( The writer is a senior journalist and author. The views expressed are strictly personal.)
