On New Year’s Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a special gift for farmers by extending subsidy of DAP (Di-Ammonium Phosphate) fertilizers from January 1 till further orders. Farmers will continue to get a 50 kg DAP bag for Rs 1350, and the extra cost will be borne by the Centre. The government will give Rs 3,850 crore subsidy to companies that manufacture and supply DAP fertilizers.
This will help millions of farmers and their families. Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said advance procurement of DAP will be done this year so that farmers should not face scarcity of fertilizers. In his tweet on X, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, the first decision of the New Year is dedicated to crores of farmers brothers and sisters.
At the first meeting of the Union Cabinet, the special one-time package on Di-Ammonium Phosphate (DAP) fertiliser at the rate of Rs 3,500 per metric tonne was extended from January 1, 2025, till further orders. This special package is over and above the approved NBS (nutrient-based subsidy). 28 grades of Phosphorus and Potassium fertilizers are made available to farmers at subsidized rates through manufacturers and importers.
In another decision, the Cabinet approved the continuation of the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana and the Restructured Weather-Based Crop Insurance Scheme till 2025-26. The approval was given for an enhanced allocation with an overall outlay of Rs 69,515.71 crore for the scheme period (2021-22 to 2025-26).
This will help in risk coverage of crops from non-preventable natural calamities for farmers across the country till 2025-26. For large-scale technology infusion in the implementation of the scheme, the Cabinet approved the creation of the Fund for Innovation and Technology (FIAT) with a corpus of Rs. 824.77 crore.
Agriculture Minister Chouhan said farmers would now get their crop damage claims soon, based on settlement with the help of technology. He, however, avoided speaking about the farmers’ agitation in Punjab. Farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal is on indefinite fast for the last 37 days. His health is deteriorating fast, and the Supreme Court had directed the Punjab government to admit Dallewal to the hospital within two days. But farmer leaders insist Dallewal will not break his indefinite fast until and unless the Centre starts talks with farmers.
Dallewal’s condition is worsening, but it seems none of the sides are worried about his life. Agitating farmers must take Dallewal to the hospital immediately. They should not worry that their agitation will be weakened if Dallewal is taken to the hospital. Dallewal’s life must not be used as a tool to force the government to bow to their wishes. If farmer leaders are unwilling, then the Punjab government must step in and provide immediate treatment to Dallewal as per the directions of the Supreme Court.
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