Kisan Credit Cards (KCC) for Fisheries Schemes, 2020-21

GOVERNMENT OF WEST BENGAL
DEPARTMENT OF FISHERIES, AQUACULTURE
AQUATIC RESOURCES & FISHING HARBOUR, IT BUILDING (7TH & 8th FLOOR),
31, GN BLOCK, SECTOR-V, SALT LAKE, KOLKATA – 700 091.

No. 639-Fish/C-V/1P-13/2000 Dated, Kolkata, 05.03.2020

From: The Additional Secretary to the Govt. of West Bengal
To: The District Magistrate

Sub: Kisan Credit Cards (KCC)

Sir/Madam,

Increased importance is being given to enhancing the capacity of the fishermen in your districts to avail loans through KCC. For the same, the Deptt. has come up with a guideline and also a format for Monthly Progress Report and District wise Annual target of KCC for Fisheries sector 2020-21. This would enable you to review and to monitor issuance of KCC, loan sanctioned under the scheme by the banks etc. in your districts on a regular basis in the DLBC meetings. The MPR should be duly filled and submitted at the mail id given in the table below by 5th of every month or the next working day. Director of Fisheries has been entrusted to monitor the progress of the same at the state level.

Dr. Saptarshi Biswas, Deputy Director of Fisheries (SPU) of this Department has been nominated to act as the Nodal Officer of this Department for the said purpose.

Contact details of the Nodal Officer are given below:

Your timely intervention would enable us to reach out to maximum number of fishermen and enable them to work for their better livelihood.

Additional Secretary
to the Govt. of West Bengal
Encl: As stated.

Guideline

Fisheries Schemes to be Implemented Under KCC (2020-21)

Background of the Scheme:

• A Kisan Credit Card (KCC) is a credit delivery mechanism that is aimed at enabling farmers to have quick and timely access to affordable credit for their working capital.
• It was launched in 1998 by the Reserve Bank of India and NABARD.
• The scheme aims to reduce farmer dependence on the informal banking sector for credit – which can be very expensive and suck them into a debt spiral.
• The card is offered by cooperative banks, regional rural banks and public sector banks.
• Based on a review of the working of the KCC, the government has advised banks to convert the KCC into a smart card cum debit card.
• KCC has been extended to AH and Fisheries sector as per RBI circular dtd 04.02.19.
• Bank authorities have been instructed to issue KCC within 14 days of receipt of completed application from the fish farmers.

Features of the Kisan Credit Card:

1. All farmers including small and marginal farmers, share croppers and tenants are eligible for the Kisan Credit Card.
2. It simplifies the loan as it requires onetime documentation, and all subsequent documentation is based on the farmer’s declaration of crops to be raised etc.
3. Offers flexible repayment schedule after the harvest season and enables rescheduling of payments in case of a bad crop season.
4. Farmers can use it to take loans.
5. Acts as a single credit facility for the farmer for all aquaculture requirements.
6. Any number of withdrawals subject to credit limit. Repayment- only after harvest and marketing.

Objective/Purpose:

The KCC scheme aims at providing adequate and timely credit support from the banking system under a single window with flexible and simplified procedure to the fish farmers for their working capital requirements towards fresh water fish/prawn culture (including cold water), Brackish water shrimp/fish/crab culture, fish/shrimp/prawns/crabs/seed rearing, capture fisheries in fresh water and marine, any other fishery activities may be considered in addition to these activities.

Eligibility:

Fisheries:

A) Inland Fisheries & Aquaculture-

i) Fishers, Fish farmers (individual & groups/partners/share croppers/tenant farmers), Self Help Group, Joint Liability Groups & Women Groups,
ii) The beneficiary must own or lease any of the Fishery related activities, such as, pond, tank, open water bodies, raceway, hatchery, rearing unit, posses necessary license for fish farming and fishing related activities and any other fisheries activities and allied activities.

B) Marine Fisheries-

Beneficiaries listed as other who own or lease registered fishing vessels/ boats, possess necessary fishing license/ permission for fishing in estuary and sea, fish farming/ mariculture activities in estuaries and open seas and any other fisheries and allied activities.

Credit Limit for interest subvention and prompt repayment incentive:

• For the existing KCC holders the benefits of interest subvention and prompt repayment incentive will be admissible up to the credit limit of Rs. 3 lakhs including fisheries activities.
• Whereas the new card holders will have credit limit of Rs. 2 lakhs to meet their working capital requirements for fisheries activities.
• Interest subvention will be available for fisheries farmers as per the existing guidelines, i.e. @2% per annum at the time of disbursal of loan and another @3% per annum in case of prompt repayment as additional incentive.

Scale of finance:

A) The scale of finance for KCC including fisheries activities will be fixed by the District Level Technical Committee (DLTC) based on local cost. The scale of finance may be worked out on per acre/ per unit etc, basis.

B) Fisheries Recurring cost towards seed, feed, organic and inorganic fertilizers, lime/ other soil conditioners, harvesting and marketing charges, fuel/ electricity charges, labour/ lease rent (if leased water area), insurance etc. for capture fishery working capital would include the cost of fuel, ice, mooring, landing charges, other labour charges, etc. may form part of the scale of finance.

Disbursement:

• Short term component of the KCC limit is in the nature of revolving cash credit facility. There should be no restriction in numbers of debits & credits. Bank authorities have been instructed to issue KCC within 14 days of receipt of completed application from fish farmers.

(Ref. F/N0.25-1(07)/2018-AHD (COORD), Govt. of India, Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying & Fisheries Plan Coordination Unit dated-11.02.19)

Beneficiary/ candidate selection:

1. As KCC is a relatively a new feature in fisheries sector, it has to be widely discussed in all the block/ district meeting, so that the fishers get to know about it.

2. (a) The list of beneficiaries/applicants may be collected and sponsored to the banks for issuance of KCC.
(b) List of beneficiaries/applicants can also be collected from the Fishermen Association/ Cooperative/SHG and sponsored to the bank.
(c) All beneficiaries covered under different fisheries schemes (state plan/CSS/) may also be brought under KCC coverage.
(d) Individual beneficiaries can also submit the application to the bank through the block FEO.
(e) The PRI authorities may be kept informed about disbursements in this regard.

Repayment Period:

• The repayment period may be fixed by banks as per the anticipated harvesting and marketing period for the crops for which the loan has been granted.

Against this backdrop the current schemes have been devised for KCC considering the interest subvention.

The present proposal includes:

1. The synopsis of 11 schemes:

• The base price of items has been considered as per the unit cost of 2019-20. This may be modified by DLTC as per the local price within reasonable limit.
• The schemes are indicative and may be modified as per the local needs.
• New schemes may be included in the KCC ambit as per the demand of the local farmers, the CEOs can introduce them and intimate to the DLTC and the Directorate.
• Schemes on cage/pen culture, percolation tank culture, cistern culture, use of geo-membrane in arid/ laterite zones, any traditional fishery techniques may also be included based on local demand.
• Schemes on marine sector can be introduced by the respective Marine ADFs, through DLTC and intimated to the Directorate.
• The scale of finance for KCC including the fisheries activities will be fixed by the District Level Technical Committee (DLTC) based on local cost. The scale of finance may be worked out on per acre, bigha/ per unit etc. basis.
• The current schemes are indicative and may be referred while considering the scale of finance in DLTC.
• The DLTC and the DLBC is to be looped in for all the local issues for better coordination.

2. Sheet showing the calculation of bank interest with interest subvention- to be reconciled with bank/ DLBC. Annexure I

3. The details of the schemes- Annexure II

4. The KCC form- Annexure III

Target:

• A minimum annual target has been fixed for each district and it is expected that the target will be exceeded.
• The scheme wise classification of target is also indicative which may be modified as per the local demand.
• However the total minimum units of target for the district have to be covered and exceeded.

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