No decision yet on fertiliser subsidy through smart cards

New Delhi, Aug 17 (UNI) The Government today said that no decision had been taken on the transfer of subsidy to farmers through smart cards.

To a question of Mr Motilal Vohra and Satyavrat Chaturvedi, Minister of State for Fertilisers B K Handique said in a written answer in the Rajya Sabha that the Group of Ministers was considering the issue of sustainability of fertiliser use and various alternative mechanisms of subsidy delivery to farmers including through the smart cards but no decision had been taken yet on the issue.

To another question, he said the total chemical fertiliser consumption in the country was 449.1 lakh metric tonnes of which the production of Nitrogen and Phosphates was about 354 lakhs MTs in 2006-07.

UNI