New Delhi: Union Minister of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare and Rural Development, Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan, today addressed a press conference and informed about the release of the 17th installment of about Rs 20,000 crore under PM-KISAN by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will be visiting Varanasi on June 18, 2024, for the release of the 17th instalment of the PM KISAN scheme to the farmers and granting certificates to more than 30,000 self-help groups as Krishi Sakhis. The event will be organized by the Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare in coordination with the Govt. of Uttar Pradesh. The event will witness the presence of esteemed dignitaries, including Governor, Uttar Pradesh, Union Agriculture Minister Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Shri Yogi Adityanath, Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh and various other Ministers from the Government of Uttar Pradesh.

In his address during the press conference, Union Minister of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare and Rural Development Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan thanked the Prime Minister for entrusting him with the responsibility of an important department like agriculture and said that agriculture is the most important basis for fulfilling the resolve of a developed India. Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan said that agriculture is the foundation of the Indian economy. Even today, most of the employment opportunities are created through agriculture.

The Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister said that today farmers are filling the granaries of the country. He said that even earlier, agriculture and farmers have been the top priority of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, due to which many steps were taken for the welfare of farmers and even now, after assuming office, the Prime Minister first signed the 17th installment of Kisan Samman Nidhi to be released to the farmers. Shri Chouhan said that in his first program after becoming the Prime Minister for the third time, the highly anticipated 17th instalment of PM KISAN, amounting to more than Rs 20,000 crores, will be disbursed to over 9.26 crore beneficiary farmers by the Prime Minister with a single click of a button from Varanasi.

Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan said that the Kisan Samman Nidhi is a central sector scheme launched on 24th February 2019 to supplement the financial needs of all land-holding farmers subject to certain exclusion criteria of higher income status. He said that mmaintaining absolute transparency in registering and verifying beneficiaries, the Government of India has disbursed over Rs 3.04 lakh crores till now to more than 11 Crore farmers across the nation and with this release, the total amount transferred to the beneficiaries since the inception of the scheme will cross well over Rs 3.24 lakh crores.

The Union Minister said that on 18 June, the success of the resolution of developed India along with the prosperity of the farmers is going to start. Because on this day several Union Ministers will also be visiting 50 KVKs to interact with the farmers and create awareness amongst them about the various schemes of the Department. He said that around 2.5 Cr. Farmers will join the event across the country. 732 Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs), Over 1.0 lakh Primary Agricultural Cooperative Societies, and 5.0 Lakh Common Service Centres (CSCs) from across the country will also participate in the event to create awareness amongst the farmers.

The Union Agriculture & Farmers Welfare Minister said that the Prime Minister has resolved to make three crore Lakhpati Didis, out of which about one crore Lakhpati Didis have already been made, 2 crore more are to be made. Krishi Sakhi is one dimension of that. Shri Chouhan said that to help the farmers, many sisters have been trained so that they can support the farmers through different works in farming and can earn an additional income of about 60-80 thousand rupees annually. The Union Minister said that along with the program of releasing the installment of PM Kisan Prime Minister Modi will also grant Certificates to more than 30,000 Self Help Groups (SHGs) as Krishi Sakhis and as a token Hon’ble PM will distribute the certificates to 5 Krishi Sakhis. The Krishi Sakhi program has been rolled out in 12 States in Phase – 1: Gujarat, Tanil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Odisha, Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh, and Meghalaya. As on date, over 34,000 Krishi Sakhis out of 70,000 have been certified as Para-extension Workers.

Shri Chouhan said that Krishi Sakhis are chosen as agriculture para-extension workers because they are trusted community resource persons and experienced farmers themselves. The Krishi Sakhis have already received extensive training in various agricultural practices, making them well-equipped to support and guide fellow farmers effectively.

Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan said that keeping in view the important role of women in agriculture, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development have also signed a Memorandum of Understanding. He said that under PM-Kisan, financial benefit of Rs 6,000/- per year in three equal instalments, every four months, is transferred into the bank accounts of farmers’ families across the country through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) mode. On the other hand, under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, financial security has been guaranteed to more than 4 crore farmers. Shri Chouhan expressed happiness that despite the surge in global prices, the work of providing fertilizers at cheap rates to farmers by providing subsidy of Rs 11 lakh crore is continuing.

The Union Agriculture & Farmers Welfare Minister said that this program will be broadcasted live on DD, DD Kisan, My Gov, From development block office to gram panchayats, YouTube, Facebook, various Krishi Vigyan Kendra and more than five lakh Common Service centers across the country. He appealed to the farmers to participate in this program directly through any medium and connect with the program and the Prime Minister.

During the press conference, Secretary, Department of Agriculture & Farmers’ welfare Shri Manoj Ahuja and Secretary, DARE Shri Himanshu Pathak were also present. DeshGujarat