The guidelines of the various beneficiary oriented schemes of the Department of Agriculture & Cooperation and Farmers Welfare (DAC&FW), Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare provide that States and other Implementing Agencies to incur atleast 30% expenditure on women farmers. These schemes include Support to State Extension Programmes for Extension Reforms, National Food Security Mission, National Mission on Oilseed & Oil Palm, National Mission on Sustainable Agriculture, Sub-Mission for Seed and Planting Material, Sub-Mission on Agricultural Mechanization and Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture.

The Department of Rural Development, Ministry of Rural Development launched a specific scheme namely ‘Mahila Kisan Sashaktikaran Pariyojana (MKSP)’, as a subcomponent of DAY-NRLM (Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana — National Rural Livelihoods Mission). This scheme is being implemented since 2011 with the objective to empower women by making systematic investments to enhance their participation and productivity, as also create sustainable livelihoods of rural women. The program is implemented in project mode through State Rural Livelihoods Mission (SRLM) as Project Implementing Agencies.

DAY-NRLM and its sub-component MKSP is a demand driven programme. Accordingly, based on the demand from State Rural Livelihoods Mission for implementation of MKSP through project mode.

In order to familiarize women with the latest techniques in agriculture and allied sectors, trainings are being imparted to women farmers under schemes of Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare and Ministry of Rural Development.

This information was given in a written reply by the Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Shri Narendra Singh Tomar in Lok Sabha.

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APS