On Saturday, October 5, Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave a special Navratri gift to millions of farmers across India by releasing the 18th installment of the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi.
During his visit to Maharashtra, PM Modi transferred Rs 20,000 crore to the accounts of around 9.4 crore farmers, with each receiving Rs 2,000.
So far, the central government has provided a total of Rs 3.45 lakh crore to farmers under this scheme.
PM Kisan Samman Nidhi: Started in 2019
The PM Kisan Samman Nidhi Scheme was launched on February 24, 2019.
Under this program, farmers receive Rs 6,000 annually in three equal installments, directly transferred to their bank accounts through the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) system.
In Maharashtra alone, about 1.20 crore farmers have received Rs 32,000 crore over 17 installments, placing the state second in India for the number of beneficiaries.
In the 18th installment, over 91.51 lakh farmers in Maharashtra will benefit from more than Rs 1,900 crore.
Additionally, PM Modi announced an extra Rs 2,000 crore for the state’s farmers under the 5th installment of the Namo Shetkari Mahasamman Nidhi Yojana.
Millions of Farmers Participate in the Event
The event was attended by Maharashtra Governor CP Radhakrishnan, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan, Union Fisheries Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, a
nd Deputy Chief Ministers Ajit Pawar and Devendra Fadnavis.
Around 2.5 crore farmers participated in the program via webcast, including those from 732 Krishi Vigyan Kendras, over 1 lakh Primary Agricultural Cooperative Societies, and 5 lakh Common Service Centres.
Five Solar Parks Inaugurated
During the event, PM Modi also dedicated five solar parks to the nation. The locations and capacities of these parks are:
1) Dhondalgaon, Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar – 3 MW
2) Bamani B.K., Nanded – 5 MW
3) Kondagiri, Kolhapur – 3 MW
4) Jalalabad, Akola – 3 MW
5) Palshi B.K., Buldhana – 5 MW
