Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Varanasi on June 18 to release Rs 20,000 crore under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN Nidhi) scheme. PM Modi will grant certificates to more than 30,000 self-help groups designated as Krishi Sakhis after the release of the 17th instalment of the PM KISAN scheme, Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Shivraj Singh Chouhan said while addressing a press conference on Saturday.
The event will be organized by the Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare in coordination with the Government of Uttar Pradesh. PM Modi began his third term in office on June 10 by authorizing the release of the 17th instalment of the PM Kisan Nidhi, which aims to benefit 9.3 crore farmers and distribute around Rs 20,000 crore. The scheme, launched in February 2019, transfers an amount of Rs 6,000 annually in three equal instalments of Rs 2,000 directly into the Aadhaar-seeded bank accounts of farmers.
Chouhan, addressing the conference, said that PM Modi has given the responsibility to work on a 100-day plan. He said that the 17th instalment of PM KISAN, amounting to more than Rs 20,000 crore, will be disbursed to over 9.26 crore beneficiary farmers by the Prime Minister with a single click of a button from Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh.
The Agriculture Minister further noted that around 2.5 crore farmers will join the event across the country. Additionally, 732 Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs), over 1 lakh Primary Agricultural Cooperative Societies, and 5 lakh Common Service Centres (CSCs) from across the country will participate in the event to raise awareness among farmers.
During the event, Prime Minister Modi will also grant certificates to more than 30,000 Self Help Groups (SHGs) as Krishi Sakhis and will distribute certificates to five Krishi Sakhis as a token gesture.
"This financial assistance will support farmers in meeting their agricultural and other incidental needs. A farmer-centric digital infrastructure has ensured the benefits of the scheme reach all the farmers across the country without any involvement of middlemen. Maintaining absolute transparency in registering and verifying beneficiaries, the Government of India has disbursed over Rs 3.04 lakh crore to more than 11 crore farmers across the nation. With this release, the total amount transferred to the beneficiaries since the inception of the scheme will cross well over Rs 3.24 lakh crore," Chouhan said.
Several Union Ministers will also be visiting 50 KVKs to interact with farmers and raise awareness about the various schemes of the Department. They will also distribute certificates to the trained Krishi Sakhis of the area, he added. (ANI)
