Union Cabinet Green Lights Fertilizer Subsidy for Rabi Season
The Union Cabinet approved the Nutrient Based Subsidy (NBS) rates for NPK (Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium) fertilizer for the Rabi season beginning October 1, 2023, and ending on March 30, 2024, on Oct 25, according to Anurag Thakur. According to Thakur, the subsidy expenditure is expected to cost Rs 22,303 crore.
The following prices will be subsidized during the Rabi season- Nitrogen costs Rs 47.02/kg, phosphorus costs Rs 20.82/kg, potassium costs Rs 2.38/kg, and sulfur costs Rs 1.89/kg. Thakur stated that di-ammonium phosphate will continue to be sold at the previous rate of Rs 1,350 per bag, while Muriate of Potash (MoP) will be reduced.
The cabinet also approved the inclusion of the Jamrani Dam Multipurpose Project of Uttarakhand under the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana-Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme (PMKSY-AIBP), which will cost Rs 2,584 crore.
The project calls for the construction of a dam near Jamrani village across the river Gola, a tributary of the Ram Ganga in Uttarakhand's Nainital district. The dam will feed the existing Gola barrage via a 40.5 km canal system and a 244 km canal system completed in 1981.
Anurag Thakur, Minister of Information and Broadcasting, stated that a central support of Rs 1,557.18 crore will be provided to Uttarakhand for the completion of the project, which is estimated to cost Rs 2,584.10 crore and is scheduled to be completed by March 2028.