Prime Minister Narendra Modi will release the PM-KISAN scheme’s 17th instalment amounting to nearly Rs 20,000 crore in Varanasi on 18th June.

The event will be organised by the Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare in coordination with the government of Uttar Pradesh.

Disclosing this at a press conference on Saturday, Agriculture and Rural Development Minister Shivraj Chouhan said the prime minister would be granting certificates to more than 30,000 self-help groups as Krishi Sakhis.

He said Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath would be present on the occasion.

Mr Chouhan called agriculture the foundation of the Indian economy. Even today, most of the employment opportunities are created through agriculture.

He said farmers are today filling granaries of the country. Agriculture and farmers have been the top priority of the Prime Minister, he said, and as a result, the Government took several steps for the welfare of farmers.

Just after assuming office, in his first order, the prime minister signed papers for the 17th instalment of the Kisan Samman Nidhi for release to the farmers. In his first public engagement, after becoming the prime minister for the third time, the highly anticipated 17th instalment 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.

The agriculture and rural development minister 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 maintaining absolute transparency in registering and verifying the beneficiaries, the Government of India has disbursed over Rs 3.04 lakh crore till now to more than 11 crore farmers across the nation and with the latest release, the total amount transferred to the beneficiaries since the inception of the scheme will cross well over Rs 3.24 lakh crore.

The Union minister said that on 18 June, the government’s resolution of developed India, along with prosperity of farmers, will start getting implemented.

On that day, several Union Ministers will also be visiting 50 KVKs to interact with farmers and to create awareness among them about various schemes of the Department. He said that around 2.5 crore farmers will join the event across the country.

To create awareness among farmers, 732 Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs), over one lakh Primary Agricultural Cooperative Societies, and five lakh Common Service Centres (CSCs) from across the country will participate in the event.

The Agriculture and Rural Development Minister said the Prime Minister has resolved to make three crore Lakhpati Didis, out of which about one crore Lakhpati Didis have already been made, and two crore more are to be made.

The Krishi Sakhi is one dimension of that. Mr Chouhan said that to help the farmers, training has been given to many women so that they can support the farmers through different works in farming and can earn an additional income of about Rs 60,000 to Rs 80,000 annually.

He said that along with the programme of releasing the instalment of PM Kisan, the Prime Minister will also grant Certificates to more than 30,000 Self Help Groups (SHGs) as Krishi Sakhis and as a token, he will distribute the certificates to five Krishi Sakhis.

The Krishi Sakhi programme has been rolled out in 12 States in Phase–1, which include Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Odisha, Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh, and Meghalaya. As of date, over 34,000 Krishi Sakhis out of 70,000 have been certified as Para-extension Workers.

Mr 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.

The minister said that keeping in view the important role of women in agriculture, the ministries of Agriculture and Rural Development have also signed a Memorandum of Understanding.

He said that under the PM-Kisan scheme, a financial benefit of Rs 6,000 per year in three equal instalments, every four months, is transferred to 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 four crore farmers. He expressed happiness that despite the surge in global prices, fertilizers are still provided at cheap rates to farmers by continuing the Rs 11 lakh crore subsidy.

The minister said the PM KISAN programme will be broadcast live on television and through Krishi Vigyan Kendras and more than five lakh Common Service centres across the country. He asked farmers to participate in it directly through any medium and connect with the programme and the Prime Minister.

During the press conference, Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare Secretary Manoj Ahuja and DARE Secretary Himanshu Pathak were also present.