Context

CVOID-19 induced significant economic and social disruptions in India. Rural households, including smallholders, were affected by loss in migrant income, livelihood and farm and non-farm incomes. During this lockdown, the Indian government enacted several emergency legislations to provide direct and indirect relief to workers and households. India’s COVID-19 social assistance package, namely, PM-GKY, announced in March 2020, was designed to provide immediate relief to the vulnerable population. The PM-GKY provided cash direct benefit transfers (DBT) and in-kind supports (IKS) through existing schemes.

Objectives

This study examines the impact of India’s government assistance package (known as Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana or PM-GKY), announced immediately after the COVID-19 lockdown, on the procurement of agricultural inputs for the upcoming farming season.

Methods

The study uses a quasi-experimental method and survey data from 1,789 smallholder households in three northern Indian states (Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh).

Results

The result suggests that the fungibility of funds received under the government transfer package was significant in alleviating credit constraints and increasing agricultural investments in agricultural inputs. The farmers who received benefits from the PM-GKY scheme spent significantly more on the procurement of seeds, fertilizers, and pesticides.

Conclusions

The disbursement of cash transfers in the three states showed that emergency relief packages had reached the vulnerable sections of Indian society. Overall, 89-94% of households benefited from direct cash transfers. Perhaps lower transaction costs, minimal leakages, and immediate delivery make a strong case for direct cash transfers. The above advantages facilitate the provision of relief to a large proportion of vulnerable sections of Indian society in a short period.

中文翻译：

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印度的 COVID-19 社会援助计划及其对农业部门的影响

语境

CVOID-19 在印度引发了重大的经济和社会动荡。包括小农户在内的农村家庭受到移民收入、生计以及农业和非农业收入损失的影响。在此封锁期间，印度政府颁布了几项紧急立法，为工人和家庭提供直接和间接的救济。印度于 2020 年 3 月宣布的 COVID-19 社会援助计划，即 PM-GKY，旨在为弱势群体提供即时救济。PM-GKY 通过现有计划提供现金直接福利转移 (DBT) 和实物支持 (IKS)。

目标

本研究调查了印度政府在 COVID-19 封锁后立即宣布的一揽子援助计划（称为Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana或 PM-GKY）对为即将到来的农季采购农业投入品的影响。

方法

该研究使用了来自印度北部三个邦（拉贾斯坦邦、中央邦和北方邦）的 1,789 个小农户的准实验方法和调查数据。

结果

结果表明，政府转移支付一揽子计划下收到的资金的可替代性对于缓解信贷约束和增加农业投入的农业投资具有重要意义。从 PM-GKY 计划中受益的农民在购买种子、化肥和杀虫剂上的支出要多得多。

结论

三个邦的现金转移支付表明，紧急救助方案已经到达了印度社会的弱势群体。总体而言，89-94% 的家庭受益于直接现金转移支付。也许较低的交易成本、最小的泄漏和即时交付为直接现金转移提供了强有力的理由。上述优势有利于在短期内为印度社会的很大一部分弱势群体提供救助。