PM Modi is scheduled to visit Varanasi on June 18, will release Kisan Samman Nidhi instalment

Addressing a press conference yesterday, Union Minister of Agriculture, Farmers Welfare, and Rural Development Shivraj Singh Chauhan informed that Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has released the 17th tranche of roughly Rs 20,000 crore under PM-KISAN. On June 18, 2024, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will visit Varanasi to deliver the farmers the 17th installment of the PM KISAN plan and to bestow certificates as Krishi Sakhis on over 30,000 self-help groups. The Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare will coordinate with the Uttar Pradesh government to host the event. Prominent dignitaries will be present at the ceremony, including Union Minsiter Shivraj Singh Chouhan, the Governor of Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath, Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh. PM Narendra Modi also signed the first file related to the farmers of the country, authorizing the release of PM Kisan Nidhi's seventeenth installment after taking the oath of office for the third time. He stated in a post, "This will distribute approximately Rs 20,000 crores and benefit 9.3 crore farmers. Ours is a Government fully committed to Kisan Kalyan. It is therefore fitting that the first file signed on taking charge is related to farmer welfare. We want to keep working even more for the farmers and the agriculture sector in the times to come.”

The prime minister will spend four and a half hours in Varanasi, his parliamentary seat. At approximately 4:30 p.m., he will arrive at Babatpur's Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport. He will proceed directly to the location from there. Along the route, the PM will receive hearty welcomes at several locations. In addition to awarding Varanasi farmers, Prime Minister Modi will announce the release of the 17th Samman Nidhi installment, which will help over 267,665 farmers in Kashi. He will attend the Baba Kashi Vishwanath Temple and take part in the renowned Ganga Aarti at Dashashwamedh Ghat after the Kisan Sammelan. It is expected that around 2.5 crore farmers nationwide will join the event. Additionally, 732 Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs), over 1 lakh Primary Agricultural Cooperative Societies, and 5 lakh Common Service Centres (CSCs) across the country will participate to raise awareness among farmers. 

During the event, PM Modi will also distribute certificates to more than 30,000 Self Help Groups (SHGs) as Krishi Sakhis and will present certificates to five Krishi Sakhis as a token gesture. Notably, PM-KISAN is a direct benefit transfer (DBT) initiative, launched in 2019, under which beneficiary farmers receive an annual sum of Rs 6,000 in three equal installments to supplement their financial needs.

The Union Agriculture Minister also said “This financial assistance will support farmers in meeting their agricultural and other incidental needs. A farmer-centric digital infrastructure has ensured the benefits of the scheme reach all the farmers across the country without any involvement of middlemen. Maintaining absolute transparency in registering and verifying beneficiaries, the Government of India has disbursed over Rs 3.04 lakh crore to more than 11 crore farmers across the nation. With this release, the total amount transferred to the beneficiaries since the inception of the scheme will cross well over Rs 3.24 lakh crore”.