Kisan Rail: Features, Purpose, Performance and Issues | UPSC Notes

Understanding Kisan Rail

Small-scale farmers often struggle to transport their produce over long distances due to several challenges such as lack of affordable transport options, reluctance of transporters to carry small-sized consignments, and potential damage to the produce due to delays in transit.

In order to address these issues and enable small and marginal farmers to reach larger markets, the Government of India proposed the launch of ‘Kisan Rail’ in the Union Budget of 2020-21. The Kisan Rail initiative aims to facilitate the transportation of perishable goods including fish, meat, and milk across the country.

Why Kisan Rail?

• The main objective of Kisan Rail is to transport perishable goods from areas of high production to areas of high consumption, ensuring speedy movement and minimum damage during transit.
• It aims to provide farmers access to the extensive network of Indian Railways, enabling them to reach distant markets and thus potentially increasing their income.
• By facilitating access to larger markets, Kisan Rail aims to improve price realization for farmers and enhance their overall income.

Key Features of Kisan Rail

• Kisan Rail connects farmers, especially those in remote villages, to larger markets, enabling them to sell their agricultural produce more effectively.
• It ensures faster transportation, encouraging farmers to sell their produce to bigger markets and greater distances.
• A 50 percent subsidy in freight, covered by the Ministry of Food Processing Industries, is provided for the transportation of fruits and vegetables.
• Kisan Rail operates on the principles of multi-commodity, multi-consignee, multi-consignor, and multi-stoppages, benefitting small farmers by allowing them to transport their produce without any middleman.
• Furthermore, there is no minimum limit on the quantity that can be booked.

Additional Information

• The inaugural Kisan Rail Service was flagged off between Devlali (Maharashtra) and Danapur (Bihar) on August 7, 2020.
• To avail the Kisan Rail service, farmers need to approach the Chief Parcel Supervisor of the Railway Stations with their consignment, ensuring that the packing condition is not faulty. The weight of the consignment is measured and charges are levied based on the prescribed parcel rates.
• Farmers are charged only half of the freight for their consignments, thanks to a 50% subsidy provided by the Ministry of Food Processing Industries under the Operation Greens scheme.
• Adequate stoppage time at specified stations has been ensured for smooth loading and unloading of consignments.

Performance of Kisan Rail

• A large number of farmers have utilized Kisan Rail services to transport a variety of fruits and vegetables, as well as perishables like flowers, eggs, dairy products, and fish.
• As of June 2021, sixty routes have been operationalized and 157 Kisan Rails have been operated, transporting fifty thousand tonnes of perishables.
• Temperature-controlled Perishable Cargo Centres have been established at several locations including Nashik, New Azadpur, Singur, Raja Ka Talab/Varanasi, Ghazipur, and Fatuha.
• To strengthen the food supply chain, Indian Railways has withdrawn the surcharge applied to the food grains during the busy season.
• It's important to note that no Kisan Rails has been introduced through Public Private Partnership arrangements so far.

Challenges and Future Prospects

• A significant amount of time is wasted in packaging, loading, unloading, and accessing multiple points, often leading to wastage. This is an issue that needs to be addressed.
• The cold storage infrastructure needs to be improved to avoid wastage and spillage.
• Integration with nearly 1000 mandis can further streamline the process and make it more effective.