Odisha Fertilizer Subsidy Scheme

Key information:

Launched by: Agriculture department, Odisha state government
Launched on: 1st January 2018
Implementation on: 1st February 2018
Type of benefit: Direct benefit transfer

Objective:

• To provide direct fertilizer benefit transfer to farmers. 
• To bring transparency in subsidy scheme 

Highlights of Odisha fertilizer subsidy scheme

• Odisha fertilizer subsidy scheme is launched by Odisha government collaborating with Agriculture department of state government. 
• Odisha fertilizer subsidy scheme is an initiative which will work through a point of sale machine at retailer shops and it is a direct benefit transfer which is linked to the farmer's bank account. 
• This fertilizer subsidy scheme will benefit only to the selected farmers and the aim is to reach selected one by one and not to all farmers at the same time. This will improve the efficiency of a scheme and transparency in a distribution system. 
• The Odisha state government will spend Rs 70000 crore per year for fertilizer scheme. 
• Under this scheme, all retailers have to record detail of all activity at the point of sale device. 
• This scheme will curb the illicit flow of fertilizers and prevent the fraudulent who always take unnecessary benefits and by doing this, the state government will save a huge amount of money. 
• Under this scheme, more than 11680 retailers are eligible and will give a point of sale service and this whole process is done by Odisha agriculture department. But till now it has just included 6174 retailers with a point of sale machine and a target is to include all other remaining retailers at the end of this month. 
• The Odisha state government has set up a committee to sell nutrients chemical on an agricultural base. 
• Odisha state government is also forming a primary agriculture Cooperative Societies and Large area Multi-Purpose Cooperative Societies to provide nutrients chemical but only 913 societies have a point of sale device. 

How Direct benefit transfer work?

• Direct benefit transfer department of fertilizers, the Ministry of Chemical and Fertilizers will manage and handle all the point of sale machines and retailers. 
• All retailers have to compulsory install the latest version of the software and update on regular basis. 
• The Recipients have to verify their identity through Aadhar based biometric authentication and it must be linked to a bank account number. 
• All the information of buyer will be taken in a retail shop at a point of sales will match to a beneficiary. 
• All retailers have to update their stock on regular basis in a system. 
• The aim is to connect with all retailers through the current point of sale system so that farmers will get a benefit as soon as possible.