Parshottam Rupala, Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, said that the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) scheme is a revolutionary step towards empowering farmers.
He added that it envisages transferring money to farmers’ accounts.
The minister was speaking after inaugurating the district-level Kisan Samman Nidhi programme at the ICAR-Directorate of Cashew Research (ICAR-DCR), Puttur.
Welfare programmes
Rupala said that the Central government has initiated several welfare programmes for farmers. Without any mediator, grants are released directly for gram panchayats from the treasury of the Central government, he added.
The Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi will benefit farmers who own up to two hectares of farmland. There is a need for an agricultural revolution along with industrial revolution in the country.
MP Nalin Kumar Kateel said that the Centre had earmarked Rs 75,000 crore for Kisan Nidhi.
MLA Sanjeev Matandoor said, “Already, 15,000 farmers have registered for the Kisan Samman Nidhi in Dakshina Kannada and 1,800 farmers have furnished the required documents as well.”
The minister later visited the Krishi Yantra Mela organised by Campco, the Vivekananda College of Engineering and Technology, Vivekananda Polytechnic, Puttur, and the Dakshina Kannada Co-operative Milk Producers’ Union in Puttur and visited the stalls.
At CPCRI
The genuine beneficiaries should only be included while implementing social welfare schemes like PM-KISAN, said Kasargod MLA N A Nellikunnu, while inaugurating the district-level programme organised at the CPCRI to mark the launch of the programme.
The programme was chaired by CPCRI acting director Dr Anitha Karun.
Puttur farmer speaks to PM
The live telecast of Prime Minister Narendra Modi launching the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi at Gorakhpur was broadcast using an LED screen.
Sediyapu Janardhan Bhat, progressive farmer from Padnoor in Puttur, got an opportunity to interact with the prime minister live. He said, “The Central government’s welfare programme for farmers has benefited many. The neem-coated urea is beneficial to farmers.”
Bhat also hoped that the Kisan Nidhi programme will benefit a larger section of the farming community. He said that he has been cultivating cashew, black pepper, banana, arecanut and coconut on his land.