Salient features Scheme:

• Eligible farmers to be provided with a Kisan Credit Card and a pass book or card-cum-pass book.

• Revolving cash credit facility involving any number of drawals and repayments within the limit.

• Limit to be fixed on the basis of operational land holding, cropping pattern and scale of finance.
• Entire production credit needs for full year plus ancillary activities related to crop production to be considered while fixing limit.
• Sub-limits to cover short term, medium term as well as term credit are fixed at the discretion of banks.
• Card valid for 5 years subject to annual review. As incentive for good performance, credit limits could be enhanced to take care of increase in costs, change in cropping pattern, etc.
• Each drawal to be repaid within a maximum period of 12 months.
• Conversion/reschedulement of loans also permissible in case of damage to crops due to natural calamities.
• Security, margin, rate of interest, etc. as per RBI norms.
• Operations may be through issuing branch (and also PACS in the case of Cooperative Banks) through other designated branches at the discretion of bank.
• Withdrawals through slips/cheques accompanied by card and passbook.
• Crop loans disbursed under KCC Scheme for notified crops are covered under Crop Insurance Scheme, to protect the interest of the farmer against loss of crop yield caused by natural calamities, pest attacks etc.

Objective:

The scheme aims at providing adequate and timely cred it for the comprehensive credit requirements of farmers under single window for their cultivation and other needs as indicated below:

• To meet the short term credit requirements for cultivation of crops
• Post harvest expenses
• Produce Marketing loan
• Consumption requirements of farmer household
• Working capital for maintenance of farm assets, activities allied to agriculture, like dairy animals, inland fishery and also working capital required for floriculture, horticulture etc.
• Investment credit requirement for agriculture and allied activities like pump sets, sprayers, dairy animals, floriculture, horticulture etc

Advantages of the KCC Scheme to the farmers:

• Simplifies disbursement procedures
• Removes rigidity regarding cash and kind
• No need to apply for a loan for every crop
• Assured availability of credit at any time enabling reduced interest burden for the farmer.
• Helps buy seeds, fertilizers at farmer’s convenience and choice
• Helps buy on cash-avail discount from dealers
• Credit facility for 3 years – no need for seasonal appraisal
• Maximum credit limit based on agriculture income
• Any number of withdrawals subject to credit limit
• Repayment only after harvest
• Rate of interest as applicable to agriculture advance
• Security, margin and documentation norms as applicable to agricultural advance
• Access to adequate and timely credit to farmers
• Full year’s credit requirement of the borrower taken care of. Minimum paper work and simplification of documentation for withdraw  of funds from the bank.
• Flexibility to draw cash and buy inputs.
• Assured availability of credit at any time enabling reduced interest burden for the farmer. Flexibility of drawals from a branch other than the issuing branch at the discretion of the bank.

RuPay Kisan Credit Card:

• RuPay is an Indian domestic card scheme conceived and launched by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI). It was created to fulfill the Reserve Bank of India’s desire to have a domestic, open loop, and multilateral system of payments in India. RuPay facilitates electronic payment at all Indian banks and financial institutions, and competes with MasterCardand Visa in India.
• NABARD, in January, 2013 set up Special Project Unit- Kisan Credit Card (SPU-KCC) with a mandate for encouraging cooperative banks and Regional Rural Banks across the country to issue Rupay KCC debit cards. The overarching goal is to develop cash-less eco system by enabling the farming community to avail all new banking facilities at par with urban area of the country.