Parliamentary Committee Slams Agriculture Department For Under-Utilizing Funds

A parliamentary committee has lambasted the department of agriculture and farmers' welfare for surrendering Rs 19,762 crore despite raising a supplementary demand of Rs 22,245 crore for the current fiscal year due to non-utilization.

"The committee is forced to note that raising supplementary demands on the one hand and surrendering funds, on the other hand, are incompatible and reflect on the expenditure planning done by the department of agriculture and farmers welfare," the standing committee on agriculture, animal husbandry, and food processing (2022-23) stated in its 51st report.

The committee has urged the department to take seriously the planning of the use of allocated funds and to ensure that the funds are spent in the planned and stipulated manner.

According to the panel, the department could use approximately 59% of the Rs 1.1 trillion allocated to it under the revised estimate for 2022-23 by the end of January 2023. "The department needs to strive hard to fully utilize the funds in the remaining period of one month or more of 2022-23 which seems to be an arduous task".

The committee also stated that the agriculture department surrendered Rs 44,015 crore between 2020-21 and 2022-23 because the fund could not be used.

According to the panel report, the surrender of funds by the department of agriculture and farmers welfare is primarily due to 'less requirement' for schemes aimed at the welfare of scheduled caste and scheduled tribe communities, particularly in north-eastern states.

However, the panel has stated that the practice of surrendering funds must be avoided at all costs.

The panel also recommended that all mandis across India be integrated with the electronic-National Agriculture Market (e-NAM) platform so that farmers in remote parts of the country can transact in agri-commodities online and get good prices for their produce.

Last year, the government approved the integration of trading, transportation, logistics, warehousing, assaying, packaging, weather forecasting, and fintech services provided by 60 or so private entities via the Platform of Platforms with the e-NAM portal, allowing more farmers to sell their produce to buyers of their choice.

The parliamentary panel has also directed the department to investigate the causes of claims settlement delays by insurance companies under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana.

Source- Financial Express 

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