Prime Minister Narendra Modi released the 17th instalment of PM Kisan Samman Nidhi Scheme during an event in Varanasi. Under this scheme, eligible farmers will receive an instalment worth ₹2,000 each into their bank accounts.
PM Modi released an overall amount of ₹20,000 crore to over 9.26 crore eligible farmers during the PM Kisan Samman Sammelan in his Lok Sabha Constituency.
The event marked PM Modi’s first visit to his Lok Sabha constituency ever since he assumed charge as the prime minister of the country for the third consecutive term.
Addressing farmers during the event, PM Modi says the new Modi government is committed to making the lives of farmers easier. "It is a matter of pride to release the 17th instalment of the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana from the holy land of Kashi."
He also thanked the people of Varanasi for choosing him for the third time. PM Modi said it is very rare in the democratic countries of the world that an elected government returns for the third consecutive time. "But this time the people of India have also done this," he says, adding that it had happened 60 years ago in India that a government made hatrick in elections.
"Because of the love and blessings of the people of Kashi, I have got the opportunity to become the Prime Minister of the country,” the PM says.
Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who was also present on the occasion, termed Modi becoming the Prime Minister for the third time a "historic" event. "I want to welcome the honourable PM on behalf of all farmer brothers and sisters," says Chouhan.
Notably, under the 17th instalment of the PM-KISAN scheme, more than 9.26 crore farmers will receive benefits amounting to over ₹20,000 crore. During the event, the PM also distributed the certificates to more than 30,000 self-help groups (SHGs) trained as Krishi Sakhis to work as para extension workers.
Krishi Sakhis are chosen as agriculture para-extension workers because they are trusted community resource persons and experienced farmers themselves. As of date, over 34,000 Krishi Sakhis out of 70,000 have been certified as para-extension workers.
The PM-KISAN scheme was launched on February 24, 2019, to supplement the financial needs of all land-holding farmers subject to certain exclusion criteria of higher income status.
Financial benefit of ₹6,000 per year in three equal instalments, every four months, is transferred into the bank accounts of farmers’ families across the country through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) mode. Till now over ₹3.04 lakh crores has been disbursed to more than 11 crore farmers across the nation and with this release, the total amount transferred to the beneficiaries since the inception of the scheme will cross well over ₹3.24 lakh crores.
