PM IAS NOV 22 NEWS ANALYSIS

Sufism

In News

• In ‘In Search of the Divine: Living Histories of Sufism in India’, Rana Safvi weaves together a narrative that combines history and geography, myth and contemporary practices of Sufism.

Key Points From the Book

• Shrines being brought to life with writing:
  • Rana Safvi has attempted the daunting task of mapping out the Sufi traditions in the subcontinent. 
  • Intertwining personal testimony with a taxonomy of the different silisilahs of Sufism, Safvi weaves together a narrative that combines history and geography, myth and contemporary practice. 
  • The description of the Sarkhej Roza, a shrine in Gujarat: “These square panels were patterned in three ways: geometric, curvilinear, or a combination of both. Floral motifs were also used to heighten the sense of being in a garden — as that is how paradise is also described. 
  • In the tomb of Sheikh Ghaus Gwaliori, there are over a hundred panels with one screen consisting of both geometrical and stylized designs.” 
• Orders:
  • The book offers valuable source material on the history of Sufism in India, its various orders:
    • Chishti, 
    • Qadiriyya, 
    • Suhrawardiyya, 
    • Naqshbandi.  
• Pan India presence:
  • The shrine of Baba Fariduddin Ganjshakar (1188-1266) in Pakpattan, 
  • Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti’s (1143-1236) resting place in Ajmer, 
  • The mausoleum of Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya (1238-1325) in Delhi, and even as far south as Nagore in present day Tamil Nadu, where Hazrat Syed Shahul Hameed (d. 1570) was welcomed by the king of Thanjavur with a land grant to build a khanqah, or seminary. 
  • The last named saint is revered as “Nagore Andavar” by locals and is one among thousands of examples where Hindus and Muslims continue to share sacred spaces in India.

Sufism 

• Meaning of Sufi: 
  • It literally refers to “the act of wearing wool,” perhaps referring to the shawls worn by the itinerant preachers who traveled the length and breadth of the Middle East, Central Asia and South Asia. 
• Practice:
  • The philosophy of Sufism believes in one God and regards every individual and everything else as part of Him. 
  • The Sufi saints preached that ‘God is one’, all is in God‘ , ‘nothing is beyond outside Him’  and ‘one can find God by renouncing everything except loving devotion to God.’
• Sufism in the Indian Subcontinent:
  • The Sufi movement started in Persia and evolved into a well developed movement by the 11th century. 
  • Sufism found its way into India during the eleventh and twelfth centuries when many Sufi saints came to India particularly in Multan and Lahore of the Indian subcontinent. 
• Bifurcated into Orders:
  • During this time, the Sufis were organized in orders (silsilahs).
  • The orders were generally led by a prominent mystic who lived in Khanqah (hospice) along with his disciples. 
  • The connection between the Pir (teacher) and his murids (disciples) was a vital part of the Sufi system. 
  • Every Pir nominated a successor or wali to carry on his work. 
  • The Sufi orders are divided into two groups:
    • Ba-shara, which followed the Islamic Law (shara) and 
    • Be-shara, which was not bound by it (shara). 
    • Both types of orders prevailed in India, the latter being followed more by wandering saints and qalandars.

Different Sufi Orders

• The Sufis organized into several orders or silsilahs. Abul Fazal mentioned fourteen such orders. Some of them became quite popular in India.
• The Chisti Order:
  • The most popular one in India. 
  • It originated outside India and its founder saint was Khawaja Abdul Chisti. 
  • In India, it was introduced by Khawaja Muinuddin Chishti.
    • Muinuddin Chishti was born in Persia. 
    • He visited different places of Islamic learning in Central Asia and, finally, reached India in 1200 A.D. 
    • He settled himself at Ajmer and became very popular all over Northern India. 
    • Both the Hindus and Muslims paid homage to him. 
    • The Mughal emperor, Akbar paid homage at his Dargah. 
  • Among his disciples were Sheikh Hamiduddin of Nagaur and Qutubuddin Bakhtiyar Kaki. 
  • Shaikh Farid or Baba Farid was also a famous Chisti Saint. He raised the Chisti order to the status of an all-India organization. 
  • The most famous Chisti Saint was Shaikh Nizamuddin Auliya who was the disciple of Baba Farid.
    • He settled himself near Delhi. 
    • He had the chance of watching the reigns of several Sultans of Delhi. 
    • Amongst his followers was noted writer Amir Khusrau. 
  • Another famous Saint was Shaikh Nasiruddin Mahmud, popularly known as Nasiruddin Chirag-i-Dilli (The Lamp of Delhi).
• Suhrawardi Order:
  • Established by Shaikh Shahabuddin Suhravardi at Baghdad. 
  • The Suhravardi order of the sufis became popular in the North Western part of India. 
  • The first popular Saint of this order was Shaikh Bahauddin Zakariya who settled down at Multan.
    • He differed from Chisti saints in several respects. 
    • He didn’t observe simplicity. 
    • He led a comfortable life and received wealth and land from his rich disciples. 
    • He emphasized the external form of Islam. 
    • He did not believe in fasting, self-mortification etc. with a view to purify souls. 
  • Shaikh Sharfuddin Yahya Manairi propagated Sufi-doctrines in Bihar.
    • He was a good scholar and compiled several books. 
    • He laid great stress on the services of humanity.
• The Qadri Order:
  • The Qadrisilsilah was popular in Punjab. 
  • Shaikh Abdul Qadir and his sons were supporters of the Mughals under Akbar. 
  • The Pirs of this order supported the concept of Wahadat al Wajud (this doctrine postulates that God and His creation are one). 
  • Among the famous Sufis of this order was Miyan Mir who had enrolled the Mughal Princess Jahanara and her brother Dara Shikoh as his disciples.
• Naqshbandi Order:
  • The Naqshbandi order of the Sufis was introduced in India by Khwaja Baqi Billah.
    • Khawaja Baqi Billah opposed the listening of Sama (religious music) and the practice of pilgrimage to the tombs of saints. 
    • He opposed interaction with Hindus and Shias. 
    • He criticised the withdrawal of the Jizyah and the ban on cow slaughter (by Akbar). 
    • He maintained that the relationship between man and God was that between the slave and the master and not the relation of a lover and beloved. 
    • He tried to harmonise the doctrines of mysticism and the teachings of Islam.
  • His successor was Shaikh Ahmed Sirhindi. 
  • This order emphasized an observance of the laws of Shariat and denounced all innovations which were added afterwards to Islamic doctrines. 

Contribution of the Sufi Movement 

• Unity: The contribution of the Indian Sufis to society lies in their sincere and dedicated struggle to find unity for the heterogeneous elements in the society. 
• Promoted hetro-ethnicity: They appreciated the multi-racial, multi-religious and multilingual pattern of Indian society. 
• Peaceful: Their efforts were directed towards the creation of a healthy social order free from dissensions, discords and conflicts.
  • Like the Bhakti saints who were engaged in breaking down of barriers within Hinduism, the Sufis too infused a new liberal outlook within Islam. 
  • The interaction between early Bhakti and Sufi Ideas laid the foundation of more liberal movements of the fifteenth century.
• Influence on Hinduism: Sufism influenced Hindu society and religion.
  • The saints of Bhakti-cult like Kabir, Nanak, Dadu Dayal were certainly influenced by Sufi saints. 
  • Many Bhakti saints were influenced by monotheism of Islam. 
  • Efforts were made by several of them to remove the barriers of caste. Probably, the concept of Guru or the preceptor among the saints of Bhakti Cult was also influenced by the concept of Pir among the Sufis.
• Helping oppressed: A notable contribution of Sufis was their service to the poorer and downtrodden sections of society.
  • While the Sultan and Ulema often remained aloof from the day to day problems of the people, the Sufi saints maintained close contact with the common people.  
  • Nizamuddin Auliya was famous for distributing gifts amongst the needy irrespective of religion or caste.
• Brotherhood: The Sufi movement encouraged equality and brotherhood. In fact, the Islamic emphasis upon equality was respected far more by the Sufis than by the Ulema.

Conclusion

• Sufis helped the spread of Islam in India by emphasizing social equality of all the people. 
• Sufis were guides to good life. They bridged the gulf between our societies.

India’s First Suicide Prevention Policy

In News

• Recently the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare announced a National Suicide Prevention Strategy.

More about the policy

• About:
  • The newly launched National Suicide Prevention Strategy is the first of its kind in the country.
  • The suicide prevention policy comes with time-bound action plans and multi-sectoral collaborations to achieve reduction in suicide mortality by 10% 2030.
• The strategy broadly seeks to: 
  • Establish effective surveillance mechanisms for suicide within the next three years, 
  • Establish psychiatric outpatient departments that will provide suicide prevention services through the District Mental Health Programme in all districts within the next five years, and 
  • To integrate a mental well-being curriculum in all educational institutions within the next eight years. 
  • The policy envisages: 
    • Developing guidelines for responsible media reporting of suicides, and 
    • Restricting access to means of suicide.
• Community & societal support:
  • The stress is on developing community resilience and societal support for suicide prevention. 
• In line with global strategy:
  • The UN’s Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3.4 aims to reduce premature mortality from non-communicable diseases by one-third, through prevention and treatment, and promote mental health and well-being.
    • One of the indicators for this is the suicide rate.
  • While the strategy is in line with the WHO’s South East-Asia Region Strategy for suicide prevention, it says it will remain true to India’s cultural and social milieu.

More about SuicideWhat is suicide?Suicide is when people harm themselves with the goal of ending their life, and they die as a result.A suicide attempt is when people harm themselves with the goal of ending their life, but they do not die.Data on suicide deaths in India:In India, more than one lakh lives are lost every year to suicide, and it is the top killer in the 15-29 years category. In the past three years, the suicide rate has increased from 10.2 to 11.3 per 1,00,000 population, the document records. The most common reasons for suicide include family problems and illnesses, which account for 34% and 18% of all suicide-related deaths.Treatments and Therapies:Brief InterventionsSafety Planning: Personalized safety planning has been shown to help reduce suicidal thoughts and actions. Follow-up phone calls: Research has shown that when at-risk patients receive further screening, a Safety Plan intervention, and a series of supportive phone calls, their risk of suicide goes down.Psychotherapies:Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT):It can help people learn new ways of dealing with stressful experiences. CBT helps individuals recognize their thought patterns and consider alternative actions when thoughts of suicide arise.Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT):It has been shown to reduce suicidal behavior in adolescents.

Government of India Initiatives 

• National Mental Health Programme (NMHP), 1982:
  • To ensure the availability and accessibility of minimum mental healthcare for all in the foreseeable future, particularly to the most vulnerable and underprivileged sections of the population.
• Mental Healthcare Act, 2017 – Decriminalising suicide attempts:
  • It was passed in 2017, came into effect in May 2018 and replaced the Mental Health Act of 1987. 
  • To the joy of most Indian medical practitioners and advocates of mental health, the act decriminalised suicide attempts in India. 
  • It also included WHO guidelines in the categorisation of mental illnesses. 
  • The most significant provision in the act was “advanced directives”, which allowed individuals with mental illnesses to decide the course of their treatment and also appoint someone to be their representative. 
  • It also restricted the use of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), and banned its use on minors, finally introducing measures to tackle stigma in Indian society.
• Manodarpan Initiative:
  • It is an initiative under Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan.
  • It aims to provide psyho-social support to students for their mental health and well-being.
• Kiran Helpline:
  • The helpline is a giant step towards suicide prevention, and can help with support and crisis management.
  • The helpline aims to provide early screening, first-aid, psychological support, distress management, mental well-being, and psychological crisis management and will be managed by the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD).

Issues & way ahead

• Focus not up to the mark:
  • The recent National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) report stated that 1.64 lakh people died by suicide in 2021. 
  • This is 10 per cent higher than the COVID deaths in India 2020, and 6.8 times the maternal death (23800) in 2020. 
  • Yet, we have had so much more focus and efforts on COVID protocols and maternal health as compared to suicide prevention.
• Need for collaborative efforts:
  • Given that suicide is a complex issue, tackling it will necessarily require inter-sectoral collaboration. 
  • The 2021 NCRB data shows that family issues (33.2 per cent), unemployment/indebtedness/career problems (7.7 percent), health concerns (18.6 percent) are some of the major causes. 
  • To work on prevention, we need the Ministry of Women and Child Development, Ministry of Commerce & Industry, the MoHFW, among others, to work collaboratively. 
• Requirement of an effective implementation:
  • The strategy should now be passed on to the States for them to develop locally relevant action plans; and then cascade to the district, primary health and community levels.
  • Further efforts are now required to prevent suicides as a public health priority. 
  • Suicides impact all sections of the society and thus require concerted and collaborative efforts from individuals and the community at large.

Development Project on the Great Nicobar Island

In News

• Recently, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change gave environmental clearance for the development project on the Great Nicobar Island.
  • The port is expected to be commissioned by 2027–28. 

More about the news

• The development project consists of:
  • A “greenfield city” has been proposed
  • An International Container Transhipment Terminal (ICTT), 
  • A greenfield international airport, 
  • A power plant, and 
  • A township for the personnel who will implement the project.
• Infrastructure management:
  • The port will be controlled by the Indian Navy.
  • The airport will have dual military-civilian functions and will cater to tourism as well. 
  • Roads, public transport, water supply and waste management facilities, and several hotels have been planned to cater to tourists.
• Total island area under the project:
  • A total 166.1 sq km along the southeastern and southern coasts of the island have been identified for project along a coastal strip of width between 2 km and 4 km. 
  • Some 130 sq km of forests have been sanctioned for diversion, and 9.64 lakh trees are likely to be felled.

Significance of the Project

• National security:
  • The proposal to develop Great Nicobar was first floated in the 1970s, and its importance for national security and consolidation of the Indian Ocean Region has been repeatedly underlined. 
  • Increasing Chinese assertion in the Bay of Bengal and the Indo-Pacific has added great urgency to this imperative in recent years.
• Economic and strategic importance:
  • The island has a lot of tourism potential, but the government’s greater goal is to leverage the locational advantage of the island for economic and strategic reasons.
  • Location:
    • Great Nicobar is equidistant from Colombo to the southwest and Port Klang and Singapore to the southeast. 
    • It is positioned close to the East-West international shipping corridor, through which a very large part of the world’s shipping trade passes. 
• Cargo transshipment:
  • The proposed International Container Transhipment Terminal (ICTT) can potentially become a hub for cargo ships travelling on this route.
  • The proposed port will allow Great Nicobar to participate in the regional and global maritime economy by becoming a major player in cargo transshipment.
• Job generation:
  • More than 1 lakh new direct jobs and 1.5 lakh indirect jobs are likely to be created on the island over the period of development.

The IslandThe Andaman and Nicobar Islands:The Andaman and Nicobar Islands are a cluster of about 836 islands in the eastern Bay of Bengal, the two groups of which are separated by the 150-km wide Ten Degree Channel. The Andaman Islands lie to the north of the channel, and the Nicobar Islands to the south.Great Nicobar, the southernmost of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, has an area of 910 sq km.Great Nicobar island:India’s southernmost point:Indira Point on the southern tip of Great Nicobar Island is India’s southernmost point, less than 150 km from the northernmost island of the Indonesian archipelago. Protected area:Great Nicobar is home to two national parks and a biosphere reserve.Inhabitants:The island is inhabited by the Shompen and Nicobarese tribal peoples, along with ex-servicemen from Punjab, Maharashtra, and Andhra Pradesh who were settled on the island in the 1970s.Flora & fauna:The Great Nicobar Island has tropical wet evergreen forests, mountain ranges reaching almost 650 m above sea level, and coastal plains. Fourteen species of mammals, 71 species of birds, 26 species of reptiles, 10 species of amphibians, and 113 species of fish are found on the island, some of which are endangered. The leatherback sea turtle is the island’s flagship species.

Ecological concerns regarding the developmental project

• Ecologically important and fragile region:
  • The proposed massive infrastructure development in an ecologically important and fragile region, including the felling of almost a million trees, has alarmed many environmentalists. 
• Impacting coral reefs & mangroves:
  • The loss of tree cover will not only affect the flora and fauna on the island, it will also lead to increased runoff and sediment deposits in the ocean, impacting the coral reefs in the area, they have cautioned.
  • Coral reefs, already under threat from warming oceans, are of enormous ecological importance. 
  • Environmentalists have also flagged the loss of mangroves on the island as a result of the development project.

Government response & way ahead:

• Relocation of reefs:
  • India has successfully translocated a coral reef from the Gulf of Mannar to the Gulf of Kutch earlier. 
  • The Zoological Survey of India is currently in the process of assessing how much of the reef will have to be relocated for the project. 
• Conservation of the leatherback turtle:
  • The government has said that a conservation plan for the leatherback turtle is also being put in place.
• Only small percentage of area to be disturbed:
  • The project site is outside the eco-sensitive zones of Campbell Bay and Galathea National Park.
  • The Centre has said that the development area is only a small percentage of the area of the island and its forest cover and that 15 percent of the development area itself will be green cover and open spaces.
• Official Shompen Policy of 2015:
  • Apart from that, emphasis needs to be given to the official Shompen Policy of 2015 which noted that the welfare and integrity of these people should be given priority with regard to large-scale development proposals and they should be taken care of.

Norms to Curb Fake Reviews on e-commerce Sites

In News

• The Department of Consumer Affairs has recently announced new regulations to protect consumers from ‘fake and deceptive reviews’.
  • It is a part of the Bureau of Indian Standards norms that will be implemented from November 25. 

Major Guidelines 

• Voluntary Action: 
  • E-commerce platforms will need to voluntarily disclose paid customer reviews of products and services.
  • The e-commerce Company or restaurant will have to develop a code of practice, necessary terms and conditions for accessibility, and ensure that the content does not contain financial information.
• Identity:
  • Reviews should not be misleading, and the identities of the reviewers should not be disclosed without their permission.
• Purchased review: 
  • If a review is purchased or you are rewarding the person for writing the review, then that has to be clearly marked as a purchased review.
• Application:
  • The standard, IS 19000:2022, will apply to all organisations that publish consumer reviews online. These will include suppliers of products and services which collect reviews from their customers, third parties contracted by suppliers or independent third parties. 
• The BIS has defined reviews as solicited and unsolicited: 
  • The person responsible for handling the review in any organisation will be called the review administrator. 
  • Solicited review refers to consumer reviews requested by the supplier or review administrator. 
• Time period:
  • If a product gets a 4-5 stars rating, the organization will have to inform the period in which the data was collected, and if an average was calculated.

Need of such a regulation

• Reviews posted online play a significant role in making purchase decisions and consumers exceedingly rely on reviews posted on e-commerce platforms to see the opinion and experience of users who have already purchased the good or service. 

Significance of the move

• Increased transparency: The new guidelines for online reviews are designed to drive increased transparency for both consumers and brands and promote information accuracy.
• Protection of consumers: Regulations are aimed at protecting consumers from fake and deceptive reviews.
• Building Trust: Given that e-commerce involves a virtual shopping experience without any opportunity to physically view or examine the product, it is essential that reviews are genuine, authentic and trustworthy. 
• Penalty: If they indulge in unfair trade practices, then under the provisions of the Consumer Protection Act, the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) or a consumer court can take penal action. CCPA usually treats such cases as a ‘class’ and the consumer commission as individual cases.

Way forward

• The government will first set up a mechanism for voluntary compliance, and will make it mandatory if the menace continues to grow. 
• Some countries are making rules, and some are making legal provisions, but India is the first country to make a standard.

Bureau of Indian StandardsIt is the National Standard Body of India. The Bureau of Indian Standards Act, 2016, has been implemented since 2017.It is responsible for the harmonious development of the activities of standardization, marking and quality certification of goods and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.BIS has its Headquarters at New Delhi. It has 5 Regional Offices (ROs) located at Kolkata (Eastern), Chennai (Southern), Mumbai (Western), Chandigarh (Northern) and Delhi (Central). The standards and certification scheme of BIS apart from benefitting the consumers and industry also support various public policies especially in areas of product safety, consumer protection, food safety, environment protection, building and construction, etc.It has worked towards specifically addressing various national priorities and other government initiatives like Swacch Bharat Abhiyan, Digital India, Make in India and ease of doing business through its activities of standardization and certification.The activities of BIS can be broadly grouped under the following heads:Standards formulationInternational activities Product CertificationHallmarkingLaboratory servicesTraining services – National Institute of Training for StandardisationConsumer Affairs and Publicity

Rani Lakshmibai

In News

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has remembered Rani Lakshmibai on her Jayanti. Shri Modi said that her courage and monumental contribution to our nation can never be forgotten.

About Rani Lakshmibai 

• Early Life: She was born on 19 November 1828 in Kashi.
  • Lakshmibai’s childhood name was ‘Manikarnika’. She was affectionately addressed as ‘Manu’.
  • Manu’s father used to work with Peshwa Sahib of Bithur. 
  • From childhood, Manu started learning about using weapons. 
  • She became proficient in horse riding and fencing under the guidance of Nana Saheb and Tatya Tope.
• Married Life: In the year 1842, Manu got married to the King of Jhansi, Gangadhar Rao and after marriage, she got the name ‘Lakshmibai’. she gave birth to a son.
  • Her son lived for a few months and then passed away. 
  • After some time, the king of Jhansi died, and state management’s responsibility fell to Rani Lakshmibai, which she managed efficiently.
• Conflict with the British:  The British, under the doctrine of Lapse, ordered the merger of Jhansi into the British Empire and assured the queen of pension.
  • Rani Laxmibai did not agree to this contract in any way. 
  • She made it clear to the Britishers that she will never surrender Jhansi to them. She took this pledge. 
  • The brave queen guarded the pride of Jhansi until her last breath
• Legacy : The devotion of the queen towards the motherland, awakened the spirit of freedom among thousands of people. She inspired many women to participate in the freedom movement. She sacrificed her life for the dignity and freedom of her people. No doubt, She was a true queen and a brave fighter

Doctrine of LapseLord Dalhousie who was the Governor-General from 1848 to 1856  devised a policy that came to be known as the Doctrine of Lapse. The doctrine declared that if an Indian ruler died without a male heir his kingdom would “lapse”, that is, become part of Company territory. One kingdom after another was annexed simply by applying this doctrine: Satara (1848), Sambalpur (1850), Udaipur (1852), Nagpur (1853) and Jhansi (1854).Finally, in 1856, the Company also took over Awadh.

Lachit Borphukan

In News

• Recently, the Assam Chief Minister launched an event to mark the 400th anniversary of Lachit Barphukan, a celebrated general of the Ahom dynasty.

Lachit Borphukan

• Born: on November 24, 1622 in Charaideo, the first capital of the Ahom kings. 
• Excelled in the art of Guerrilla Warfare.
• Led two battles against an alien Mughal army.
  • Battle of Alaboi:
    • Fought on August 5, 1669 in the Alaboi Hills near Dadara in North Guwahati.
    • Aurangzeb had ordered the invasion in 1669 under his ally Rajput Raja Ram Singh I who led a combined Mughal and Rajput army. 
    • Borphukan engaged in guerrilla warfare, assaulting the invaders and then falling back until Ram Singh I unleashed his entire forces on the Ahoms, defeating them in the Battle of Alaboi.
  • Naval battle in Saraighat in 1671:
    • Lachit Borphukon’s valorous leadership led to the decisive defeat of the Mughals.
    • According to historical accounts, Lachit is said to have tricked the Mughals by feigning an attack in front. 
    • As the fleet advanced on the river Brahmaputra, the main Ahom fleet attacked from behind, sealing a victory for the locals.
• Death: 25th April 1672.

Image Courtesy: TN 

Ahom DynastyRuled for more than 600 years between the 13th and 19th centuries.One of the longest dynastic reigns in the subcontinentAreas: Large parts of what is now Assam, and parts of what are neighbouring states today.Achievements: Instrumental role in thwarting more than 15 attempts of the Mughals and other rulers of the Delhi Sultanate to conquer the region.

PM-KISAN Scheme

In News

• The number of farmers who received funds under the Union government’s Prime Minister Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) scheme fell by two-thirds from the scheme’s launch in 2019 till now. 

About PM-KISAN scheme

• Objective:
  • Under the scheme an income support of 6,000/- per year in three equal installments will be provided to all land holding farmer families. The family  includes husband, wife and minor children.
  • The fund will be directly transferred to the bank accounts of the beneficiaries.
• Funding:
  • It is a Central Sector scheme with 100% funding from Government of India. It is being implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.
• Identification of beneficiaries
  • State Government and UT administration will identify the farmer families which are eligible for support as per scheme guidelines.
• Eligibility:
  • Small and marginal farmers are eligible for PMKSNY. 
  • Farmer families that hold cultivable land can apply for the benefits of this plan.
  • A beneficiary should be an Indian citizen.
  • Farmers from both rural and urban regions can be enlisted. 
• Exclusion Categories: The following categories of beneficiaries of higher economic status shall not be eligible for benefit under the scheme:
  • All Institutional Landholders.
  • Farmer families in which one or more of its members belong to the following categories
  • Former and present holders of constitutional posts
  • Former and present Ministers/ State Ministers and former/present Members of LokSabha/ RajyaSabha/ State Legislative Assemblies/ State Legislative Councils, former and present Mayors of Municipal Corporations, former and present Chairpersons of District Panchayats.
  • All serving or retired officers and employees of Central/ State Government Ministries /Offices/Departments and its field units Central or State PSEs and Attached offices /Autonomous Institutions under Government as well as regular employees of the Local Bodies (Excluding Multi Tasking Staff /Class IV/Group D employees)
  • All superannuated/retired pensioners whose monthly pension is Rs.10,000/-or more (Excluding Multi Tasking Staff / Class IV/Group D employees) of above category
  • All Persons who paid Income Tax in last assessment year
  • Professionals like Doctors, Engineers, Lawyers, Chartered Accountants, and Architects registered with Professional bodies and carrying out their profession by undertaking practices.