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Department of Agricultural Extension Education, S.V. Agricultural College, ANGRAU, Tirupati-517 502.
Agriculture plays a vital role in India’s economy, employing over 54.60 per cent of the workforce and contributing to 18.80
per cent of the Gross Value Added (GVA) in 2021–22. However, farmers face challenges like lack of credit, market fluctuations and natural disasters. The government of Andhra Pradesh launched the YSR Rythu Bharosa and PM-Kisan scheme to support farmers. In Andhra Pradesh, the YSR Rythu Bharosa scheme is integrated with the PM-Kisan scheme, and farmers receive assistance of Rs. 13,500 in three installments, including Rs. 6,000 from PM-Kisan. The financial aid is directly transferred to the farmers’ bank accounts. The study examines 120 beneficiaries from Ananthapuramu and Kadapa districts of Andhra Pradesh. The scheme has benefited around 81.90 lakh farmers in Andhra Pradesh, with the state and central governments contributing to the financial assistance. The results revealed that the majority (66.66%) of the beneficiaries were in middle age,middle level of education (21.67%), agriculture+horticulture occupation (55.83%), small farmers (54.17%), medium farming experience (73.33%), medium training undergone (50.83%), medium extension contact (58.33%), medium mass media exposure (65.00%), medium social participation (63.33%), medium economic orientation (61.67%), medium scientific orientation (60.00%), medium credit orientation (69.16%), medium risk orientation (72.50%).
KEYWORDS: YSR Rythu Bharosa, PM-KISAN, Profile, Agriculture.
The YSR Rythu Bharosa – PM Kisan scheme has emerged as a transformative initiative in the Rayalaseema region of Andhra Pradesh, bringing positive changes to the lives of farmers. An earlier version of this plan was introduced in Telangana. On February 25th, 2018, the Telangana Chief Minister unveiled the Rythu Bandhu project, a state government initiative. Agriculture plays a critical role in India’s economy with 54.6 per cent of its total workforce engaged in agriculture and allied sectors. However, farmers face numerous challenges, including limited access to credit, market fluctuations and the impact of natural disasters. To support the farming community, the government of Andhra Pradesh launched the YSR Rythu Bharosa scheme on October 15, 2019. This scheme aimed to directly transfer an annual amount of Rs. 13,500 into the bank accounts of farmers, benefiting both owner and tenant farmers. It was integrated with the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme, a centrally-sponsored initiative and implemented as “YSR Rythu Bharosa- PM Kisan” in the state. Through the combined efforts of YSR Rythu Bharosa and PM Kisan, approximately 81.90 lakh farmers in Andhra Pradesh have received financial assistance, ensuring income support and social protection. The scheme operates in three installments, providing timely financial aid during the kharif sowing and harvesting seasons. Overall, the YSR Rythu Bharosa – PM Kisan scheme has played a vital role in empowering farmers, ensuring their economic well- being, and promoting sustainable agricultural practices in Andhra Pradesh’s Rayalaseema region. Through these transformative initiatives, the state government and the central government have demonstrated their commitment to uplifting the agricultural sector and securing the livelihoods of millions of farmers across the state.
The study was conducted in Rayalaseema region of Andhra Pradesh state during 2022-23. For the present study Ex post facto research design was followed, Andhra Pradesh state was purposively selected as the researcher hails from the same state and Rayalaseema region was selected based on the highest number of beneficiaries in YSR Rythu Bharosa – PM KISAN scheme.
The study was conducted purposively in two districts of Andhra Pradesh viz., Anantapuramu and Kadapa of Rayalaseema region based on highest number of YSR Rythu Bharosa – PM KISAN beneficiaries. Three mandals from each district were selected purposively and from each mandal two villages were selected by using simple random sampling. From each village 10 beneficiaries were selected by following simple random sampling thus making a sample of 120 beneficiaries. The investigator contacted beneficiaries and responses were collected personally. The data was collected by administering the structured interview schedule to the beneficiaries.
The selected variables and results are presented in Table 1.
Majority (66.66%) of YSR Rythu Bharosa – PM KISAN beneficiaries were middle aged followed by old (19.17%) and young age (14.17%) groups. The reason for the above trend might be that, they have extensive farming expertise and greater landholdings, making them more likely to gain from these schemes. People in rural areas are more likely to be active in agriculture because farming is frequently their primary occupation. This finding was in line with the findings reported by Daka (2013), Jain (2017), Nagesh (2019), Adhikari et al.
(2021) and Nigade et al. (2022).
About 21.67 per cent of the YSR Rythu Bharosa – PM KISAN beneficiaries were middle school followed by primary school (20.00%), functionally literate (19.17%), high school (15.83%), illiterate (14.17%) and college level (9.16%). This trend might be due to the fact that the majority of the beneficiaries could not go for higher education because of financial problems and the non-availability of higher educational facilities in their villages. Most of the beneficiaries were aware of the importance of education in order to understand the new methods of farming practices, latest technologies and the information about the schemes available. Similar finding is reported by Prasad (2018) and Choudhary (2021).
About 55.83 per cent of the YSR Rythu Bharosa – PM KISAN beneficiaries involved in agriculture + horticulture, followed by Agriculture (28.33%), Agriculture + Livestock (6.67%), Agriculture + Horticulture and Livestock (5.84%), and Agriculture + Horticulture + Business (3.33%). This trend might be due to their diversified farming activities to include both agriculture and horticultural crops, which can offer additional income opportunities and market demand. Similar findings were reported by Nishad (2017), Kumar (2022) and Sharma et al. (2023).
More than half (54.17%) of the YSR Rythu Bharosa – PM KISAN beneficiaries were small farmers followed by marginal farmers (30.00%), medium farmers (11.66%) and only few of them were big farmers (4.17%). The above findings highlight that half of the beneficiaries owned small farm landholdings, followed by marginal farm landholdings. These beneficiaries may have slightly larger landholdings compared to marginal beneficiaries, allowing them to engage in a wider range of agricultural activities. These schemes aim to provide them with financial support if they have land registered in their name. This finding was in agreement with the findings of Nagesh (2019) and Anuhya et al. (2022).
Majority (73.33%) of the YSR Rythu Bharosa – PM KISAN beneficiaries had medium level of farming experience followed by low (14.17%) and high (12.50%) levels of farming experience. This trend might be due to fact that the majority of the beneficiaries with medium farming experience might have been engaged in agriculture for a considerable period and have acquired practical knowledge and skills through their farming activities. The findings were in line with Shinde (2018), Adhikari et al. (2021) and Rajasekhar et al. (2021).
About 50.83 per cent of the YSR Rythu Bharosa – PM KISAN beneficiaries had medium level of training followed by low (29.17%) and high (20.00%) levels of training undergone. It could be inferred from the above findings that the beneficiaries in this category have participated in a moderate number of agricultural training programmes, workshops, or extension activities. The training undergone by these beneficiaries has equipped them with improved agricultural techniques, knowledge of modern farming practices and a better understanding of government schemes and policies. It was also found that government officials, i.e., horticulture and agricultural officers, were provided with multiple responsibilities
regarding these schemes. The findings were in agreement with Abirami (2012) and Rajasekhar et al. (2021).
More than half (58.33%) of the YSR Rythu Bharosa – PM KISAN beneficiaries had medium level of extension contact followed by high (21.67%) and low (20.00%) levels of extension contact. This trend might be due to the regular contact of beneficiary farmers with Assistant Agricultural Officers (AAO), Horticulture Development officers (HDO), and other progressive farmers to get information and knowledge on advanced agricultural and horticultural technologies. It was found that the state department of agriculture provided various agricultural inputs like seeds, pesticides, farm equipment, subsidy support and various kinds of agricultural services to beneficiaries. It was observed that beneficiaries participated in various extension activities such as demonstrations, field visits, trainings and farmer meetings organized by the horticulture and agriculture departments. This finding was in conformity with Kashinath (2020) and Hani et al. (2022).
Majority (65.00%) of the YSR Rythu Bharosa – PM KISAN beneficiaries had medium level of mass media exposure followed by high (20.00%) and low (15.00%) levels of mass media exposure. This trend might be due to the fact that beneficiaries have a reasonable level of awareness about government schemes and agricultural programmes due to regular exposure to mass media communication channels. As a result, it can be concluded that in the age of information and communication technology, beneficiaries were found to be less likely to use print media and radio and more likely to use the internet and mobile services to identify issues and communicate with extension agents. This finding was in conformity with Jain (2017) and Anuhya et al. (2022).
About 63.33 per cent of the YSR Rythu Bharosa
More than half (61.67%) of the YSR Rythu Bharosa
More than half (60.00%) of the YSR Rythu Bharosa
Majority (69.16%) of the YSR Rythu Bharosa – PM KISAN beneficiaries had medium level of credit orientation followed by low (19.17%) and high (11.67%) levels of credit orientation. The probable reason is that the beneficiaries depend on formal credit sources and access loans or credit facilities from banks or agricultural cooperative societies. These schemes provide financial support to the beneficiaries in order to invest in agricultural inputs, machinery, or infrastructure, there by improving their farming practices and productivity. The findings are in tune with Hani et al. (2022) and Sreedaya and Suresh (2022).
Majority (72.50%) of the YSR Rythu Bharosa
PM KISAN beneficiaries had medium level of risk orientation followed by low (14.17%) and high (13.33%) levels of risk orientation. The probable reason is that the beneficiaries are willing to take calculated risks in their agricultural activities. It was also found that the beneficiaries are open to trying new farming techniques, diversifying crops or adopting improved practices based on market trends and changing agricultural conditions. Similar findings were reported by Shinde (2018), Madugula (2021), Rajasekhar et al. (2021) and Nigade et al. (2022).
The YSR Rythu Bharosa-PM Kisan scheme has proven to be a significant and transformative initiative for farmers in the Rayalaseema region of Andhra Pradesh. Through the combined efforts of the state and central governments, this scheme has provided financial assistance and social protection measures to uplift the lives of farmers facing various challenges in agriculture. The integration of the YSR Rythu Bharosa scheme with the PM Kisan scheme ensures that both landlord and tenant farmers benefit from the programme. The beneficiaries of the scheme primarily consist of small and marginal farmers, indicating that the programme effectively targets those who are in dire need of financial assistance. Additionally, the majority of beneficiaries have medium levels of farming experience, training, extension contact, mass media exposure, social participation, economic orientation, scientific orientation, credit orientation, and risk orientation. This suggests that the scheme is reaching a diverse group of beneficiaries with varying levels of expertise and resources. Continued efforts and improvements in such schemes hold the potential to further enhance the lives of farmers and strengthen the foundation of India’s economy.
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