Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited his parliamentary constituency Varanasi on Tuesday for the first time since the Lok Sabha Election results were announced. In a mega event, PM Modi distributed the 17th instalment of the PM-KISAN scheme. This instalment of Rs 20,000 crore will benefit 9.26 crore farmers, the official data said.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare reported that more than 25 million farmers took part in the event. This included participants from 732 Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs), 500,000 Common Service Centres across the nation, and over 100,000 Primary Agricultural Cooperative Societies.
Addressing the rally, PM Modi said that, “The PM Kisan Samman Nidhi has become the world’s largest Direct Benefit Transfer scheme, with Rs 3.25 lakh crore deposited into the bank accounts of millions of farmer families across the country. In Varanasi alone, Rs 700 crore has been deposited in farmers’ accounts. I am pleased that technology has been effectively utilized to ensure benefits reach the right beneficiaries in the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi. Just a few months ago, over 1 crore farmers joined this scheme during the Vikasit Bharat Sankalp Yatra. The government has also simplified many rules to facilitate access to the benefits of PM Kisan Samman Nidhi. We are now elevating the country’s presence in the global packaged food market, and my vision is to see an Indian food grain or fruit product on every dining table around the world.”
Lauding the development projects in Varanasi, PM Modi said, “Our Kashi has been the capital of culture. Our Kashi has been the capital of knowledge. Our Kashi has been the capital of all knowledge. But along with all this, Kashi has become such a city which has shown to the entire world that even a heritage city can write a new chapter of urban development. The mantra of development as well as heritage is visible everywhere in Kashi…”
(With inputs from ANI)