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| Fertiliser subsidy rises substantially: Paswan |
| Press Trust Of India / New Delhi Feb 14, 2009, 00:54 IST |
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Maintaining that fertiliser imports have not gone down, the government today said that with an increase in urea import, fertiliser subsidy had witnessed a rise from Rs 36,000 crore last year to Rs 1.02 lakh crore till date this fiscal.
Union Steel Chemicals and Fertiliser Minister Ram Vilas Paswan, while replying to supplementaries during the Question Hour in the Rajya Sabha, said, “Fertiliser imports have not gone down. In fact, due to the increase in urea import, we have increased fertiliser subsidy considerably from last year.”
The minister said that last year, the subsidy was Rs 36,000 crore, while during the current fiscal it has been Rs 1.02 lakh crore till now. “It is estimated that by the end of this financial year, another Rs 12,000 crore will be required as subsidy,” he added. Paswan said that while in 2006-07 urea import was 47.18 lakh metric tonnes, during the current fiscal, it has gone up to 57.13 lakh metric tonnes till date.
He said the import of di-ammonium phosphates (DAP) too has gone up from 28.41 lakh metric tonnes in 2006-07 to 64.92 lakh metric tonnes till date during the current fiscal. Replying to another supplementary on distribution of fertilisers, Paswan said that movement of fertilisers is being monitored throughout the country by an online web-based monitoring system to track production, imports, dispatch, arrival and sales up to the district level. The Minister said data is also available to public on the website of the fertiliser department.
“The department also contacts authorities of state agriculture departments everyday to find out any shortage of fertilisers anywhere in the states and based on the feedback received, immediate remedial steps are taken,” he said.
Paswan said though his department receives complaints about fraudulent distribution of fertilisers, whether or not that has been received by the farmers is the responsibility of the state government, as this comes under their jurisdiction. The minister said that periodic review meetings on availability of fertilisers are held between the officers of state agriculture departments and fertiliser suppliers by Secretary (Fertilisers) to resolve problems, if any, faced by state governments and fertiliser suppliers.
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