TIL Desk/Business/New Delhi/ Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday released Rs 20,946 crore to 10.09 crore farmers across India as the 10th installment of financial aid under the PM-KISAN scheme and said there was a need for innovation in agriculture along with promotion of natural farming. Under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) scheme, a financial benefit of Rs 6,000 per year is provided to the eligible farmer families, payable in three equal installments of Rs 2,000.
The PM-KISAN scheme was announced in the February 2019 Budget. The first installment was for the period December 2018 to March 2019. Addressing a virtual event for release of the amount, Modi said that the scheme is a big support for farmers and the Centre has transferred all installments on time directly into bank accounts of beneficiaries, without any involvement of middlemen.
Nobody would have thought that India could achieve such a feat, he said. “If we include today’s transfer, more than Rs 1.8 lakh crore has been transferred directly to the accounts of the farmers under the PM-KISAN,” he said, adding that the scheme has helped farmers in buying good quality seeds and fertilisers. On the occasion, Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said around Rs 20,900 crore is being transferred to about 10.09 crore beneficiaries. The event was attended by as many as nine chief ministers, several ministers from different states, and representatives of agricultural institutions.
