PM-PRANAM scheme

June 29, 2023

Recently, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approved the PM Programme for Restoration, Awareness, Generation, Nourishment and Amelioration of Mother Earth (PM-PRANAM) scheme.

About the PM-PRANAM scheme:

  • It aims to reduce the use of chemical fertilisers by incentivising the state.
  • Under the scheme, the states which will adopt alternative fertilisers will be incentivised with the subsidy that is saved by reducing the use of chemical fertilisers.
  • The main objective of the scheme is to encourage the balanced use of fertilisers in conjunction with bio fertilisers and organic fertilisers. 
  • Funding mechanism:
    • It will not have a separate budget.
    • It will be financed by the savings of existing fertiliser subsidies under schemes.
    • Half of the subsidy savings will be passed on to the state that saves the money as a grant.
    • Out of this grant, 70% can be used to create assets related to the technological adoption of alternate fertilisers and alternate fertiliser production units at the village block, and district levels.
    • The remaining 30% of grant money can be used to reward and encourage farmers, panchayats, and other stakeholders involved in fertiliser reduction and awareness generation.
  • The government will evaluate the utilisation of fertilisers in terms of increase or decrease in overall consumption in a year vis-a-vis consumption over the past three years.
  • The Integrated Fertilisers Management System (iFMS) is the platform envisaged to track the use of fertilisers.