According to an official statement, the minister chaired a virtual review meeting to assess the utilisation of funds released under the RKVY and to consider the issuance of the Second Installment (Second Mother Sanction) to the Government of Maharashtra.
The meeting was attended by Dattatray Bharane, Minister of Agriculture, Government of Maharashtra, senior officials of the Department of Agriculture, Government of India, and officers of the Government of Maharashtra.
During the review, Chouhan said the Centre had earlier released Rs 335 crore as the first installment under RKVY to Maharashtra.
The state has utilised about Rs 260 crore, exceeding the prescribed 75 per cent utilisation benchmark, thereby becoming eligible for the second installment.
He said the process for release of the second installment of Rs 335 crore is being taken up.
Chouhan appreciated the state for achieving over 75+ per cent overall utilisation of RKVY funds within the stipulated time.He described Maharashtra as the first state to become eligible for the second installment.
Chouhan emphasised that “timely expenditure should always be accompanied by continuous monitoring to ensure that public funds are utilised strictly for the objectives for which they have been sanctioned”.
The minister appreciated Maharashtra’s performance in generating farmer IDs and recalled the state’s prompt financial assistance to farmers affected by floods, wherein compensation amounting to around Rs 14,000 crore was transferred directly to farmers’ bank accounts within five days.
Reviewing various components under the RKVY, Chouhan acknowledged satisfactory progress under the Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH) and appreciated the state’s implementation efforts.
He advised Maharashtra to accelerate expenditure under Digital Agriculture, Agriculture Extension, National Horticulture Mission (NHM), seeds, oilseeds and agroforestry components. The pending liabilities under the seeds component should be booked expeditiously.
During the meeting, the minister also discussed the implementation of the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY).
Chouhan stressed the need for accurate disclosure of information by farmers while applying for crop insurance.
He clarified that both Kisan Credit Card (KCC) and non-KCC farmers are eligible to avail of crop insurance benefits, but concealment of KCC status by applying through another account should be avoided.