The government on Wednesday approved continuation of the ‘PM-Asha’ scheme with an outlay of Rs 35,000 crore.
The government has given this approval with the aim of providing better prices to the farmers and controlling the instability in the prices of essential commodities for the consumers.
According to an official statement, “The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given its approval to continue the Pradhan Mantri Annadata Aay Sanrakshan Abhiyan (PM-AASHA) scheme to provide remunerative prices to farmers and to control the price fluctuations of essential commodities for consumers.”
According to the statement, the total financial expenditure during the 15th Finance Commission till 2025-26 will be Rs 35,000 crore.
The government has integrated the Price Support Scheme (PSS) and Price Stabilization Fund (PSF) schemes into PM-ASHA to serve farmers and consumers more efficiently.
The government said, “The integrated scheme of PM-ASHA will bring more effectiveness in implementation. This will not only help in providing remunerative prices to farmers for their produce but will also curb price fluctuations by ensuring availability of essential commodities at affordable prices to consumers.”
PM-ASHA will now include components of PSS, PSF, Price Loss Payment Scheme (POPS) and Market Intervention Scheme (MIS).
