What is CDP-SURAKSHA, the government’s new digital platform to disburse subsidies to horticulture farmers?

What is CDP-SURAKSHA, the government’s new digital platform to disburse subsidies to horticulture farmers?

Subject: Schemes

Section: Agri

Context:

• The BJP-led government has come up with a new platform i.e. CDP-SURAKSHA to disburse subsidies to horticulture farmers under the Cluster Development Programme (CDP) — the Centre’s initiative to promote horticulture crops.

More on news:

• The move seeks to push the growth of India’s horticulture sector, which contributes nearly one-third to the agriculture gross value addition (GVA), making a substantial contribution to the Indian economy.
• The total production of horticulture crops has also spiked in recent years.
• While in 2010-11, it stood at 240.53 million tonnes, the number rose to 334.60 million tonnes in 2020-21.

What is the CDP-SURAKSHA?

• The CDP-SURAKSHA is essentially a digital platform. 
• SURAKSHA stands for System for Unified Resource Allocation, Knowledge, and Secure Horticulture Assistance.
• The platform will allow an instant disbursal of subsidies to farmers in their bank account by utilizing the e-RUPI voucher from the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI).
• The CDP-SURAKSHA has features such as database integration with PM-KISAN, cloud-based server space from NIC, UIDAI validation, eRUPI integration, local government directory (LGD), content management system, geotagging, and geo-fencing.

How does the CDP-SURAKSHA work?

• The platform allows access to farmers, vendors, implementing agencies (IA), and cluster development agencies (CDAs), and officials of the National Horticulture Board (NHB).
• A farmer can login using their mobile number and place an order for planting material such as seeds, seedlings, and plants based on their requirement.
• Once the demand has been raised by the farmer, the system will ask them to contribute their share of the cost of planting material.
• The subsidy amount paid by the government will appear on the screen automatically.
• After the farmer pays their contribution, an e-RUPI voucher will be generated.
• This voucher will then be received by a vendor, who will provide the required planting material to the farmer.
• It is only after the verification that the IA will release the money to the vendor for the e-RUPI voucher.
• The vendor will be required to upload an invoice of the payment on the portal.
• However, the farmer, who raised the demand for the plant material using the platform, can avail of the subsidy at the first stage only.

What is e-RUPI?

• The CDP-SURAKSHA platform uses e-RUPI vouchers from the NPCI. 
• The voucher is a one-time payment mechanism that can be redeemed without a card, digital payments app or internet banking access, at the merchants accepting e-RUPI. 
• According to the NPCI, the e-RUPI can be shared with the beneficiaries for a specific purpose or activity by organizations or government via SMS or QR code.

How is the new system different from the old one?

• In the old system, a farmer had to buy planting materials on their own. 
• They would then have to approach the officials concerned for the release of the subsidy.
• The CDP-SURAKSHA platform, however, will provide subsidies to farmers upfront, at the time of purchasing the planting material.
• Vendors, who will supply planting materials to farmers, will receive their payment only after farmers verify the delivery of their orders.

How many farmers and banks have come on board?

• While the platform is yet to be unveiled at the national level, around 8,400 farmers’ details have been uploaded on the CDP-SURAKSHA platform so far. 
• These included 8,000 farmers of Sahyadri Farms Private Ltd, which is implementing the grape cluster in Nasik, Maharashtra.
• Besides this, four banks namely  HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, State Bank of India (SBI) and Bank of Baroda , have been onboarded on the platform. 
• These banks will generate e-RUPI vouchers for fund disbursement.

What is the Cluster Development Program (CDP)?

The CDP is a component of the central sector scheme of NHB. 

It is aimed at leveraging the geographical specialization of horticulture clusters and promoting integrated and market-led development of pre-production, production, post-harvest, logistics, branding, and marketing activities.

So far, 55 horticulture clusters have been identified, out of which 12 have been selected for the pilot. 

Each cluster will have an implementing agency and a cluster development agency (CDA).