Why in the news-

The Department of Fisheries inaugurated the integration of the Kisan Credit Card (KCC) Fisheries scheme onto the JanSamarth Portal, marking a revolutionary step in providing credit facilities to fishers and fish farmers nationwide.

JanSamarth Portal

It is a first-of-its-kind online platform for directly connecting lenders with beneficiaries. Citizens can avail loans under 13 Central government schemes under 4 loan categories.
The one-stop portal allows citizens to check eligibility, apply online and get digital approval.

The GoI, in the year 2018-19, extended KCC facility to fisheries and animal husbandry farmers to help them to meet their working capital requirements.
Bank authorities have been instructed to issue KCC within 14 days of receipt of the completed application from the fish farmers.
Benefits Include:

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.
In the case of new card holders, the credit limit is Rs. 2 lakhs to meet their working capital requirements for fisheries activities.
In the KCC scheme @7% is the lending rate to farmers including @2% interest subvention per annum by GoI. Also, another @3% per annum is provided in case of prompt repayment as an additional incentive as per the existing guidelines.
This implies that the farmers repaying promptly as above would get a loan @ 4% per annum effectively for loan amount upto Rs 2 lakhs.

The KCC scheme was introduced on the recommendation of R.V. Gupta of the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development.
The scheme was launched in 1998 to provide adequate and timely credit support from the banking system to the farmers.
It provides a single window with flexible and simplified procedures to the farmers for their cultivation and other needs like purchasing agriculture inputs such as seeds, fertilizers, pesticides etc. and drawing cash for their production needs.
The scheme was further extended for the investment credit requirement of farmers viz. allied and non-farm activities in the year 2004.
In 2018-19, it was extended to fisheries and animal husbandry farmers.

Objectives include:

To meet the short-term credit requirement for cultivation
To manage post-harvest expenses
To meet the consumption requirement of farmer’s household
Working capital for maintaining the farm assets and activities allied to agriculture
Investment credit requirement for agriculture-allied activities

KCC scheme is implemented by:

Under the Kisan Credit Card scheme, short-term credit support is given to farmers for which of the following purposes?

Select the correct answer:

(a) 1, 2 and 5 only

(b) 1, 3 and 4 only

(d) 1, 2, 4 and 5

The JanSamarth Portal often seen in the news is related to:

(a) Lending Facility

(b) E-KYC

(d) Right to Information