National News

Direct Benefit Transfer in Farm Mechanization

23 July 2021, New Delhi: The Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare is implementing a Centrally Sponsored Scheme ‘Sub-Mission on Agricultural Mechanization’ (SMAM) with effect from 2014-15. The scheme is implemented by the respective State Governments and some of the major States like Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Haryana have their own online portals for implementing the scheme. The Department has also developed a Farm Machinery Direct Benefit Transfer (FMDBT) portal for implementation of SMAM and the State Governments of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Uttarkhand have on-boarded for implementation of SMAM through this portal. Farmers can register on this portal through online registrationin simple easy steps with Aadharnumber, mobile number and name as per Aadharcard.  The illustrative user manual describing step by step process of registration of the farmers is also available on the portal.

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Since inception of the SMAM, central grants amounting to Rs. 4865 crores have been released to different States during the period from 2014-15 to 2021-22 and through which more than 1323000 machines have been distributed to farmers and more than15400 Custom Hiring Centres, 360 Hi-tech hubs and 14200 Farm Machinery Banks have been established to make machines and equipments available to farmers on rental basis.

This information was given in a written reply by the Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Mr. Narendra Singh Tomar in Rajya Sabha today.