CHANDIGARH: After bringing in a stricter law for cow protection, the BJP government in Haryana will now be the first in the country to launch credit cards for farmers owning livestock. Ten lakh farmers will receive these cards during the current financial year through the scheme.
Sources said these cards will be known as 'Pashu Kisan' credit cards and will be on the lines of 'Kisan' credit cards. Farmers will be able to get a credit of Rs 76,300 per Murrah buffalo, Rs 71,325 per exotic cow and Rs 70,825 per indigenous cow. With this credit card, farmers can buy anything they need but must repay the money within a year to avail a concessional 4 per cent interest rate. Otherwise, the interest rates will go up and they become defaulters too.
For instance, if one buys diesel worth Rs 4000 on July 4 2019, he must repay it by July 3, 2020. Similarly, if one buys a fridge or pays tuition fees worth Rs 9000 on August 9 2019, he must return that money within August 5, 2020 to avail concessional interest. This will not only free the farmers from the clutches of money lenders but also give a boost to consumption expenditure.
Talking with this correspondent, Additional Chief Secretary, Animal Husbandry and Dairy Development, Haryana, Sunil Gulati, said, "We are aiming to issue at least 10 lakh of these cards in this financial year of 2019-20. The plan of action involves tie-ups with 24 dairy milk plants who have milk collection points
and chilling centres across the state. The data operators along with officials of the animal husbandry department will get the forms of the farmers filled at these milk collection centres and pick up the details of each dairy animal with a photo from the 'har pashu ka gyan' app which the department had used for
the livestock census.’’
"Once all the details are complete, then the department will follow up with the banks so that these cards are issued and delivered to the farmers the next day at the milk collection point itself. This will empower the farmers to provide the best nutrition such as area specific mineral mixture and also get mats and fans for the animals and is likely to be a game changer in the state. The farmers will be able to repay whenever they have the money and it will help them use funds efficiently," said Gulati.
He added that the facility would meet the short term credit requirements for rearing livestock as well as fish, shrimp and other aquatic organisms.
Sources said that similarly for brackish water shrimp, the rate fixed is Rs 92,800 and for freshwater shrimp, it is Rs 1.12 lakh. This has been fixed after including the feeding, labour, veterinary and electricity supply costs.
Haryana has 89 lakh livestock and produces 44 lakh litres of milk per day. It has 29 lakh farming households who depend on livestock for their daily income.