Why is it in the news?

• CDP-SURAKSHA is a digital platform introduced by the BJP-led government to disburse subsidies to horticulture farmers under the Cluster Development Programme (CDP), aimed at promoting horticulture crops.
• The platform enables instant subsidy disbursal to farmers’ bank accounts using e-RUPI vouchers from the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI).

More about the news

• CDP-SURAKSHA stands for “System for Unified Resource Allocation, Knowledge, and Secure Horticulture Assistance,” and features database integration, UIDAI validation, e-RUPI integration, and geotagging capabilities.
• Farmers can access the platform to place orders for planting materials such as seeds and seedlings based on their requirements, and subsidies are automatically calculated and displayed.
• The e-RUPI voucher is generated once the farmer pays their share of the planting material cost, and the vendor receives it upon delivering the materials to the farmer.
• The platform streamlines the subsidy process, ensuring that vendors receive payments only after farmers verify the delivery of their orders through geo-tagged photos and videos.
• Around 8,400 farmers’ details have been uploaded on the CDP-SURAKSHA platform, with participation from banks like HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, SBI, and Bank of Baroda in generating e-RUPI vouchers for fund disbursement.
• The CDP aims to leverage horticulture clusters for integrated and market-led development, with 55 clusters identified so far and 12 selected for the pilot phase, covering an estimated 9 lakh hectares and 10 lakh farmers.