Nashik: Member of Parliament from the Dindori Lok Sabha constituency, Bhaskar Bhagare, has raised concerns over the difficulties faced by farmers due to the current Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) system for fertiliser subsidies. He has written to the Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, demanding immediate reforms in the system.
In his letter, MP Bhagare stated that the fertiliser subsidy amount is currently transferred to fertiliser companies instead of being directly credited to farmers’ bank accounts. As a result, farmers are required to pay the full market price while purchasing fertilisers. This situation places an additional financial burden on farmers, particularly small and marginal farmers, forcing many of them to rely on loans during the sowing season.
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He also pointed out that farmers in rural areas face several technical hurdles in the DBT process, including Aadhaar authentication issues, biometric failures, lack of internet connectivity, and malfunctions in POS machines at fertiliser outlets. Additionally, in many cases, land records are not updated, and tenant farmers or those actually cultivating the land are not listed in official records, preventing them from receiving subsidy benefits.
In this context, Bhagare has suggested several measures such as depositing the fertiliser subsidy amount in advance directly into farmers’ bank accounts, including tenant and actual cultivator farmers within the subsidy framework; providing estimated seasonal subsidy funds before the sowing period; strengthening digital infrastructure in rural areas; and launching a special campaign to update land records.
He emphasised that the agricultural sector is the backbone of the country’s economy, and fertiliser subsidy policy is not merely a matter of financial management but is directly linked to the livelihood of millions of farmers. Bhagare has, therefore, urged the central government to make the DBT system more transparent, accessible, and farmer-friendly and expressed hope that the government will take a positive decision in the interest of farmers.
