In a major step towards farmers’ welfare, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will, on Friday, transfer Rs 18,640 crore directly into the accounts
of 9.32 crore farmers of the country as the 22nd installment of the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-Kisan) scheme at a programme in Guwahati.
This was stated by Union Minister of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare and Rural Development Shivraj Singh Chouhan while talking to
ournalists here.
He informed that under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme, more than Rs 409,000 crore has been distributed so far through DBT. He said studies show that this direct financial assistance has led to an increase in agricultural investment and reduced farmers’ dependence on moneylenders, thereby strengthening the rural economy.
Chouhan further said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the great ‘yajna’ of agriculture development and farmers’ welfare will continue uninterrupted.
He also shed light on the progress made by the Government of India in the agriculture sector over the past 12 years and said India, which at
one time faced grain shortages, has now become a global power, and this has been realised due to the government’s policies and the hard
work of farmers. He informed that India, with 150 million tonnes of rice production, has now surpassed China to become number one in the
world in this regard.
The minister stated that compared to the total food grain production of 252 million tonnes in 2014, the country’s total food grain production has now increased to 357 million tonnes. There has also been a remarkable increase in horticulture. Fruit and vegetable production has risen from 277 million tonnes to 369 million tonnes. He said that today India is moving towards self-reliance in pulse production. Today, India ithe largest producer and consumer of pulses. The government is making record purchases of pulses like tur, masoor and urad.