NEW DELHI: 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 installment 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 installment 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 installments 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 installment 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 RMG of all textiles, tea, coffee, rice, tobacco, carpet and handicrafts, oil seeds; and fruits and vegetables, did well too. On Friday, Ashwani Kumar, President of the Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO), highlighted that a positive trajectory was seen in May 2024, driven by robust order bookings.
Among the top ten export markets for India were the US, UAE, Netherlands, UK, China, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, Bangladesh, Germany and France. Considerably, in these markets, the exports registered a double-digit growth rate. Breaking down export data released yesterday, the merchandise exports witnessed a 9.1 per cent rise to USD 38.13 billion, while service exports climbed by 11.7 per cent, reaching USD 30.16 billion.