Come January 2013, the department of fertilisers is launching pilot projects in 10 districts spread over nine states to track the movement of the nutrient from the retailer to the farmer.
The finance ministry’s mid-year economic analysis of 2012-13 has pointed out that in these districts, part of the subsidy to manufacturers will be linked to sale of fertilisers to farmers by retailers.
The ministry, in the section outlining implementation of Budget announcements this year, has further added that after successful implementation of this phase in these 10 districts, cash subsidy would be transferred to farmers in the next phase from April 1, 2013.
Simultaneously, the exercise of tracking the movement of fertilisers from the retailer to the farmer will be rolled out in the whole country, the mid-year review has said.
The department, with the technical support of the National Informatics Centre (NIC) has already developed a mobile and web application named mobile Fertilisers Monitoring System (m-FMS) which provides information about stock position, sale and receipt of fertilisers till the last retail point.
On the implementation of the Budget announcement on the pilot project on direct transfer of subsidy for kerosene into the bank accounts of beneficiaries, the review has mentioned that the programme has been undertaken in the Kotkasim tehsil of Rajasthan’s Alwar district. As of September 30, 2012, a total of 15,020 bank accounts have been opened as against 25,843 cardholders. Till that date, an amount of Rs 52.06 lakh has been deposited in those accounts as subsidies.
Mamata opposes scheme
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today strongly opposed the Centre’s cash transfer scheme, saying the poor will not get the money, as there is no mechanism to implement it. “We don’t agree with the scheme. West Bengal never agreed for this. How will you transfer the cash? What is the mechanism? Where is the machinery? There must be some mechanism so that money can reach (the beneficiaries),” she said.
