Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday released the 17th installment of Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) through Direct Benefit Transfer amounting to more than Rs 20,000 crores to around 9.26 crore beneficiary farmers.
The amount was released at the Kisan Samman Sammelan in Varanasi, Modi’s Lok Sabha constituency which he visited for the first time after polls. The prime minister also distributed certificates to more than 30,000 women from Self Help Groups (SHGs) as Krishi Sakhis.
Modi thanked the people for choosing him for the third consecutive time. “People of Varanasi have not only elected a Member of Parliament but the Prime Minister itself,” he said.
Modi said the mandate given by the people in this Lok Sabha election is truly unprecedented and has created history. “If in a country like India where youth aspirations are so high, if a government is returned to power after 10 years of reign, it is a massive victory and huge vote of trust. And this trust of yours is my biggest capital and keeps me energized for taking the country to new heights.”
He said the recent Lok Sabha elections symbolize the vastness, capabilities, comprehensiveness and roots of India’s democracy. Noting that more than 64 crore people voted in these elections, the prime minister said that an election of such a scale does not take place anywhere else in the world.
The prime minister reiterated the importance that he accords to farmers, narishakti, youth and poor as pillars of developed India and recalled that the first decision of the government after formation was about farmers and poor families.
“PM Kisan Samman Nidhi has emerged as the world’s largest direct benefit transfer scheme,” Modi said, highlighting that more than Rs 3.25 lakh crores have been transferred into the bank accounts of crores of farmers.
The prime minister lauded the use of technology in taking the benefits to the deserved beneficiaries and also credited the Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra which enabled more than one crore farmers to register themselves under PM KISAN scheme. He further added that rules and regulations have been simplified to increase accessibility.
“Work related to farmer’s welfare takes place at a fast pace when intentions and beliefs are in the right place,” he said.
