Prime Minister Narendra Modi Friday released the 8th installment of Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) scheme, giving over Rs 20,000 crore to about 9.5 crore farmer beneficiaries.
For the first time, farmers in West Bengal have joined the scheme and about 7 lakh Bengal farmers received their first installment today.
The installment is released at a time when India continues fight the deadly Covid wave. “In these challenging times,” the prime minister at a virtual event said, “farmers have made records in agriculture and the government is also setting new records on procurement on MSP every year.” Modi said that in comparison to 2020, 10 per cent more wheat has been purchased on MSP this year.
PM Modi will also interact with farmers from Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Meghalaya, Jammu & Kashmir and Andaman and Nicobar. Union Agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar was also present at the occasion.
The PM-Kisan scheme, launched in February 2019, is providing Rs 6,000 in 3 installments to 14 crore farmers annually. The amount is directly transferred into the bank accounts of the beneficiaries through direct benefit transfer (DBT) mode.
Till now, over Rs 1.15 lakh crore has been transferred to farmer beneficiaries under the scheme.
While releasing the 8th installment, Modi also touched upon the ongoing covid-19 vaccination drive in the country, saying that governments on all levels are making efforts to vaccinate its citizens. “About 18 crore vaccine doses have been given so far, both Centre and states are making efforts to vaccinate all citizens,” he said. Modi also asked states to take action against those involved in black-marketing of medicines and essential supplies.
(With inputs from agencies)
