Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually transferred about Rs 19,500 crore to over 9.75 crore farmers on Monday, under the Government’s Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) scheme. PM Modi also announced a National Edible Oil Mission-Oil Palm (NMEO-OP) to make India self-sufficient in cooking oils, including palm oil, as he stressed on reducing the dependence on imports. The Prime Minister also talked about ‘Mission honey bee’ and saffron production in Kashmir in his address.
“Nearly Rs 1.6 lakh crore have been transferred so far under PM-KISAN scheme, of which around Rs 1 lakh crore has been released during the pandemic,” he added. Out of this, Rs 1 lakh crore was transferred to small farmers during the pandemic, he said. This amount will be useful for small farmers at a time when the sowing of kharif crops is at its peak in the current monsoon season, he added. PM Modi credited farmers with working hard despite the hurdles presented by the Covid-19 pandemic and ensuring bumper production last year. PM interacted with six farmers.