The Nepal Weekly 
June 18, 2024
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Varanasi on June 18 to release INR 200 billion 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 organised 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 authorising the release of the 17th instalment of the PM Kisan Nidhi, which aims to benefit 93 million farmers and distribute around INR 200 billion.
The scheme, launched in February 2019, transfers an amount of INR 6,000 annually in three equal instalments of INR 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 INR 200 billion, will be disbursed to over 92.6 million beneficiary farmers by the Prime Minister with a single click of a button from Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh.
The Agriculture Minister further noted that around 25 million farmers will join the event across the country. Additionally, 732 Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs), over 100,000 Primary Agricultural Cooperative Societies, and 500,000 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 that the benefits of the scheme reach all farmers across the country without any involvement of middlemen. Maintaining absolute transparency in registering and verifying beneficiaries, the Government of India has disbursed over INR 3,040 billion to more than 110 million farmers across the nation. With this release, the total amount transferred to beneficiaries since the inception of the scheme will cross well over INR 3,240 billion,” Chouhan said.
Several Union Ministers will also be visiting 50 KVKs to interact with farmers and raise awareness about various schemes of the Department. They will also distribute certificates to trained Krishi Sakhis of the area, he added.
