After the announcement of farm loan waiver in Madhya Pradesh, the farmers of the state are likely to receive another offering from CM Kamal Nath.
Congress-led Madhya Pradesh government is set to start a pension for marginal farmers who have crossed the age of 60. A monthly pension of Rs 1000 will be given to all such farmers by the state government.
The state agriculture department has received an order to conduct a survey in order to identify the farmers who fulfill the criteria of this scheme. The small and marginal farmers of age 60 or above are eligible for the pension. Also, the farmer should have no alternative source of income other than farming. The person should not have more than 2.5 acres of agriculture land to be a beneficiary.
The move comes in wake of the promises made by Congress in its election manifesto. The promises were of farm loan waiver and monthly pension to elderly peasants.
If executed, Madhya Pradesh will become the first state in India to provide a pension to farmers.
A spokesperson of MP Agriculture Department told that the data on the beneficiaries is being prepared. And, around 10 lakh farmers are expected to fall under the proposed criteria. He also added that it may cost the state exchequer Rs 12,000 crore to implement the scheme.
Also, an official panel has been set up by the state administration to fix the parameters and give a final shape to the farm loan waiver. The panel will also visit the states of Maharashtra and Punjab to study the implementation of farm loan waiver in these states.
It would be a great relief to the farmers in Madhya Pradesh that they will be receiving a monthly pension when crossed 60. Nowadays it is with great difficulty that aged people work and the pay is also meagre. Thus such policies are always a happy prospect to look up to.