The NDA government’s ambitious plan to launch direct benefit transfer (DBT) of fertiliser subsidy to farmers, on the lines of LPG, may not happen soon, as roadblocks like poor power supply in rural India and very few Aadhaar-based bank accounts in several states are serving as impediments in the way of its roll out at the national level.
These flaws were identified after the fertiliser ministry internally reviewed the possibility of implementing the subsidy rollout. Sources aware of the development said that a report on this internal assessment is likely to be sent to the Prime Minister’s Office. Once all the problem areas are resolved, only then the project may be officially launched, sources added.
During a review meeting conducted by the ministry recently, certain aspects which could hamper the plan’s implementation came to the fore.
Significant among these were: unavailability of proper I-T and Internet infrastructure and irregular power supply in rural districts . Also very few districts have 100 per cent Aadhaar-based bank account holders. This means that a majority of states are not yet ready to launch the programme.
Another unique problem encountered during the review meeting was that people in rural areas are prone to frequently changing their mobile numbers, so tracking them in order to make them beneficiaries for the scheme becomes a problem.
Also it was found that anybody can purchase fertilisers and the state governments don’t insist on production of any kind of an identification proof while selling it.
With such ambiguities popping up during the review, it was felt that the matter should be taken up with the PMO before the scheme can be implemented. So now the programme’s launch may take some time, sources said.
The fertiliser ministry was planning to launch direct benefit transfer of subsidy to farmers as a pilot project in the coming few weeks, and in fact Union fertiliser minister Ananth Kumar had even said in Parliament in February that the government is considering the DBT on the lines of LPG, insisting that there is no shortage of farm nutrient.
“The proposal for direct subsidy to all farmers is under consideration of the government. We are considering it. It should be done shortly,” Mr Kumar had said.