Uttar Pradesh

• 24 Mar 2025

Zaid Crops Under Kisan Credit Card (KCC)

Why in News? 

On 19th March,2025, the Uttar Pradesh government decided to include 9 zaid crops under Kisan Credit Card (KCC) and Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) . 

Key Points 

• About Zaid Crops: 
  • Zaid crops are those crops which are grown in the period between Rabi and Kharif seasons. These crops have greater ability to tolerate intense heat and dry winds 
  • Major zaid crops include crops like cucumber, pumpkin, bitter gourd, watermelon, cucumber, sugarcane and peanut . 
    • In North India, zaid crop is usually sown in March-April . 
  • Farmers will now  be able to avail the benefits of  KCC and crop insurance scheme for crops like groundnut, maize, green gram, urad, papaya, litchi, watermelon, melon and amla . 
    • This will provide  them easy loans for agricultural work and compensation for crop loss due to natural calamities . 
  • Under KCC , loans are provided to farmers at low interest rates as per their needs . If farmers repay the loan on time, then an interest discount of up to 3% is also given.  
  • Under PMFBY , if a farmer's crop is destroyed due to famine, excessive rain or other natural disasters , he is given compensation in the form of insurance money by the government. This helps farmers avoid financial crises . 

Kisan Credit Card 

• About: 
  • Kisan Credit Card Scheme was started in 1998. To provide adequate and timely credit facility to meet the credit requirements of farmers (agricultural expenses), as well as to meet the expenses related to ancillary activities apart from contingency expenses. This loan facility is provided on a need basis through a simple procedure. 
  • In 2004 , this scheme was extended to meet the investment credit requirement of farmers for allied and non-agricultural activities. 
  • In Budget 2018-19, the Government announced expansion of the Kisan Credit Card (KCC) facility to help fisheries and livestock farmers meet their working capital needs . 
• Implementing Agencies: 
  • Commercial Banks 
  • Regional Rural Banks (RRBs) 
  • Small Finance Banks 
  • Co-operative Societies 

Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) 

• About: 
  • PMFBY was launched in the year 2016 and is being administered by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare. 
  • It replaced the National Agricultural Insurance Scheme (NAIS) and the Modified National Agricultural Insurance Scheme (MNAIS) . 
• Eligibility: 
  • All farmers including tenant farmers/holding farmers growing notified crops in the notified areas are eligible for coverage. 
• Objective: 
  • To provide a comprehensive insurance cover in case of crop failure due to natural calamities, pests and diseases or any other reason so as to help stabilize the income of the farmers. 
  • To stabilise the income of farmers to ensure continuity in farming . 
  • To encourage farmers to adopt new and modern agricultural methods. 
  • To ensure flow of credit to the agricultural sector. 

Solar Cities in UP

Why in News? 

In the National Conference held under the National Clean Air Programme in Gorakhpur the Uttar Pradesh government decided to develop all the 17 municipal corporations of the state as solar cities. 

Key Points 

• About the issue: 
  • Under this initiative, the use of renewable energy will be promoted, thereby ensuring  energy self-sufficiency and environmental protection. 
  • The government will implement schemes such as  setting up of solar power plants , solar street lights and solar water-heating systems . 
  • This scheme will reduce energy costs and promote green energy. 
  • This initiative will help in achieving the 'net-zero' target set by Prime Minister Modi by the year 2070 . 
  • The following districts in Uttar Pradesh have Municipal Corporations: 
    • Kanpur, Lucknow, Ghaziabad, Agra, Varanasi, Prayagraj, Meerut, Bareilly, Aligarh, Moradabad, Saharanpur, Gorakhpur, Firozabad, Mathura, Ayodhya, Jhansi, Shahjahanpur. 
• Solar City  
  • It is a city that meets its energy needs mainly from solar energy . In this , electricity generation, transportation, water supply and other basic services depend on solar energy.  
  • The main objective of this concept is to make maximum use of renewable energy sources and reduce carbon emissions. 

 National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) 

• About: 
  • The NCAP aims to systematically address air pollution by involving all stakeholders and ensuring necessary action. 
  • Under NCAP, 131 cities have been identified for implementation of city specific action plans. 
• Objective:  
  • This is the first attempt in the country to develop a national framework for air quality management with the goal of time-bound reduction . 
  • It aims to reduce the concentration of coarse (PM10) and fine particles (PM2.5) by at least 20% over the next five years (base year for comparison – 2017). 
• Monitoring:  
  • “PRANA” portal has also been launched by MoEFCC : 
    • To monitor the implementation of NCAP. 
    • Monitoring action plans and implementation status of cities. 
    • Sharing best practices adopted by cities for others to emulate.