As part of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, Union Minister Shri Narendra Singh Tomar and Shri Pashupati Kumar Paras today launched the convergence module between the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF) scheme of the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Pradhan Mantri Micro Food Enterprises Upgradation Scheme (PMFME) and Pradhan Mantri Kisan Sampada Yojana (PMKSY) of the Ministry of Food Processing Industries. Speaking on the occasion, Shri Tomar said that Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s vision of running the government collectively for the welfare of the people is being realized through such initiatives. He said that this will benefit different sections of the country, including farmers and Small scale entrepreneurs of processing industry. Union Minister of Food Processing Industries, Shri Paras said that this new initiative is beneficial and inspiring for the agriculture and food processing sector.
Shri Tomar further said that according to the spirit of the Prime Minister, the convergence module has been launched through cooperation in various ministries with the aim of taking the benefits of the schemes of the government to the people. He said, Prime Minister Shri Modi has been saying that all the ministries should work in tandem with each other and not work in silos, so that people can get the benefits of various schemes. This initiative will contribute to the realization of Atma Nirbhar Bharat campaign and take forward the projects of public welfare by increasing the power of marginalised section and contribute in the building of the New India.
 
Shri Tomar said that while employment opportunities have increased, farmers and entrepreneurs are getting continuous benefits through various schemes of the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare and Ministry of Food Processing Industries. Â Shri Tomar said that through various schemes of the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare and Ministry of Food Processing Industries, farmers and entrepreneurs are getting continuous benefits, while employment opportunities have also increased.
Shri Tomar said that due to the initiative of Prime Minister Shri Modi, many schemes have been launched in the last eight years. It is the good fortune of the country that we have got an experienced and visionary Prime Minister in Shri Narendra Modi. It is his constant endeavour to empower weaker sections and fill the gap in various fields to benefit the people. In this view, the country benefited a lot due to the achievements of the agriculture sector at the time of Covid-19. He said that the Prime Minister spoke about the Vocal for Local and Atma Nirbhar Bharat campaign and announced a special package of Rs 1,50,000 crore for sectors allied to agriculture including the Agriculture Infra Fund of Rs 1,00,000 crore. Benefit of all these schemes are reaching in to the grass root level.
Agriculture Infra Fund (AIF) is a financing facility launched on 8th July 2020 under the guidance of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, for creation of post-harvest management infrastructure and community farm assets, with benefits including 3% interest subvention and credit guarantee support. Under this, Rs 1 lakh crore from 2020-21 to 2025-26 provision of funds has been made and interest subvention and credit guarantee assistance will be given till the year 2032-33. Â AIF scheme has the facility of convergence with any other scheme of State or Central Government, therefore in order to optimize the benefits of multiple government schemes for a particular project, these are being integrated with multiple external systems/portals for convergence of schemes on a large scale. Â Convergence of AIF has already been done for commercial horticulture development and cold storage development schemes of National Horticulture Board under INM Division of Ministry of Agriculture.
Shri Paras said that this launch will play an important role in making successful food processing enterprises, especially micro entrepreneurs processing agricultural products, which will act as an inspiration for the agriculture and food processing sector. The Ministry of Food Processing Industries has launched the Pradhan Mantri Micro Food Industry Upgradation Scheme on 29th June, 2020 under the Atma Nirbhar Bharat Campaign to enhance the competitiveness of individual micro enterprises, which will provide financial, technical and commercial assistance for up-gradation of micro food processing enterprises in the country. All the States/UTs have appointed nodal agencies for its implementation. Applications for credit-linked subsidies for individual enterprises are approved at the district level, while applications for clusters are approved at the state level/ MoFPI. Under PMFME scheme, 35% credit linked subsidy will be provided for setting up of micro food processing unit with a maximum subsidy limit of Rs 10 lakh and common infrastructure with a maximum subsidy of Rs 3 crore. So far about 62,000 beneficiaries engaged in food processing activities have been benefitted by this scheme. Around 7,300 loans have been sanctioned under the scheme for setting up new micro food enterprises or for upgrading existing units. Out of these, about 60% eligible beneficiaries are engaged in primary agricultural produce and can avail direct benefit through this convergence by availing additional interest subvention of 3% at the rate of interest charged by the banks. The pace of loan approvals is expected to increase by 50% in the third quarter of 2022-23.
Pradhan Mantri Kisan Sampada Yojana, a Central Sector Scheme of the Ministry of Food Processing Industries, is envisaged as a comprehensive package, which will result in creation of modern infrastructure with efficient supply chain management from farm gate to retail outlet. It is an umbrella scheme consisting of sub-schemes. Through this convergence, eligible beneficiaries receiving credit-linked subsidy under PMFME and PMKSY schemes can avail interest subvention at the rate of interest charged by the banks. The eligible AIF beneficiaries under PMFME can get the benefit of subsidy by applying in PMFME MIS portal. The process of obtaining 3% interest subvention has been made very simple, wherein the beneficiary can apply on the portal using the already approved DPR and acceptance letter under PMFME and PMKSY. The ultimate objective of the Ministry of Food Processing Industries and the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare is the sustainable development of farmers and food processing entrepreneurs in rural areas and increasing their income. The goal of this initiative is to make the benefits of the schemes reach all the beneficiaries and empower them financially, technically and professionally. Shri Paras expressed hope that this partnership will prove to be a milestone in building a self-reliant India, taking the Prime Minister’s slogan ‘Vocal for Local’ to newer heights.
A Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) was also issued with the objective of providing maximum benefits to the beneficiaries under AIF, PMFME and PMKSY. The SOP will be available on the websites of the scheme.
The Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Shri Kailash Chaudhary was present in the program. Food Processing Industries Secretary Smt. Anita Praveen, Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Secretary Shri Manoj Ahuja and officers of both the Ministries and related institutions were also present. Shri Minhaj Alam, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Food Processing Industries delivered the welcome address. Shri Samuel Praveen Kumar, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare proposed vote of thanks.
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