Kisan Credit Card Scheme: Financial Assistance for Farmers

Securing the Future of Farming with Kisan Credit Card Scheme

Any economy’s most important industry is farming, and timely financing is necessary for agricultural activities to run smoothly. The Kisan Credit Card (KCC) initiative was launched by the Indian government in 1998–1999 to guarantee that farmers could get finance easily and promptly. The program’s goal is to offer farmers flexible, streamlined financial support from the banking system through a single window in a timely manner. In this post, we will talk about the Credit Card Scheme, including its goals, traits, requirements, and application procedure.

What is Kisan Credit Card?

The Kisan Credit Card is a credit program launched by the Indian government to offer farmers timely and substantial financial support via the banking sector. For their agricultural and other requirements, farmers are given a credit card under this program that serves as a single-window credit distribution method. Commercial banks, cooperative banks, and regional rural banks all issue card to qualified farmers.

The objective of Kisan Credit Card

The Kisan Loans Card Scheme was created to give farmers access to short-term loans for a range of agricultural and related operations, like:

• To fulfill the short-term finance needs for agricultural farming
• to pay for post-harvest costs
• To give loans for produce marketing
• To satisfy the dietary needs of farming households
• To offer working financing for farming operations and related businesses including dairy farming, inland fishing, etc.
• providing the necessary investment loans for farming and related operations such as pump sets, sprayers, dairy animals, etc.

Kisan Credit Card Benefits

Farmers find the Kisan CreditCard Scheme exciting because of a number of its advantages. The redesigned KCC plan includes the following critical elements.

• The crop loan portion is evaluated based on the amount of financing for the crops in addition the amount of the insurance premium multiplied by the area that was planted, plus 10% of the maximum amount allotted for post-harvest, household, and consumption needs, plus 20% of the maximum amount allotted for farm asset maintenance costs.
• For marginal farmers, the Flexi KCC with basic evaluation is advised.
• KCC is valid for a period of five years.
• Since the margin is already included in the size of funding, it is not necessary to insist on a separate margin for crop loans.
• There is no requirement to get the account’s debit balance to zero at any point in time, and no withdrawal should be held back for more than 12 months.
• According to the regulations of the Government of India and/or State Governments, interest subventions and incentives for quick repayment are provided.
• There is no processing fee up to a maximum of Rs. 3.00 lakh.
• At the time of first availment, one-time paperwork is necessary. Thereafter, the farmer is just required to provide a simple statement (about crops grown or intended).
• Farmers receive a KCC cum SB account rather than two separate accounts. The KCC cum SB account’s credit balance is permitted to earn interest at the saving bank rate.
• Payment is made through a variety of delivery methods, including ICT-driven channels like ATMs, point-of-sale systems, and mobile devices.

Kisan Credit Card Eligibility Criteria

Farmers must adhere to the following requirements in order to be eligible for the Kisan Creditcard programme:

• Minimum age should be 18 and maximum age should be no older than 75.
• If a borrower is over 60 years old and above, a co-borrower is required, and the co-borrower must be a legal heir.
• All farmers, including sole proprietors, tenants, oral lessees, sharecroppers, and joint cultivators.
• Joint liability groups, such as tenant farmers, or SHGs

Documentation Required for Application

The following documentation is required from farmers in order to apply for a Kisan Credit Card:

1. Evidence of Identity
2. Evidence of Address
3. Evidence of Income
4. Land Deed

Kisan Credit Card Online Apply

You can apply the Scheme Offline and Online. Follow the below process for the Application.

Farmers can go to any bank that participates in the Kisan Credit Card programme to submit an application. Farmers can download and complete the application if the bank accepts KCC online applications. The loan officer will evaluate all the variables after receiving the application and set the credit card loan limit after that. The loan officer may request collateral if the loan amount exceeds Rs. 1.60 lakh. The farmer will be given their Credit Card when their application has been processed.

Farmers can also apply for a Kisan Credit Card in person at their local CSC Centre. The Credit Card Online Application will be filled out by CSC VLE. They will provide you an acknowledgement document along with your application ID and farmer ID when you submit your application.

Kisan Credit Card Status Check

If you applied for a Kisan Credit Card through a bank, go there and inquire about the status of your application. Otherwise, if you submitted an application through a CSC Centre, ask the VLE to verify the status of your Credit Card.

Kisan Credit Card Interest Rate

From bank to bank, the interest rate on the Kisan Credit Card fluctuates. It is often lower than other credit products, though. Depending on the bank and the loan size, the interest rate may be between 2% and 4% more than the base rate.

Conclusion

A government programme called the Kisan Credit Card Scheme aims to give farmers financial support so they can satisfy their agricultural demands. It provides farmers with low-interest financing options, and the loan proceeds can be applied for a variety of agricultural needs, including the purchase of seeds, fertiliser, pesticides, and other essential tools. Farmers must satisfy specific requirements and submit the necessary paperwork to be eligible. Farmers may apply for a Kisan credit card at any bank that participates in the programme, and the process is simple. Overall, the Kisan Credit Card Scheme has assisted many Indian farmers in enhancing their farming methods and getting higher returns.

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