Chandigarh, Nov 19 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday released the 21st instalment of the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) Yojana into the accounts of farmers across the country and Rs 316.38 crore was directly transferred to the accounts of 15.82 lakh farmers in Haryana.

A state-level function was organised in Palwal district, where Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini attended as the chief guest. Similar programs were held across all districts, attended by Cabinet ministers, state ministers, and Members of Parliament. The Prime Minister’s address was broadcast live during the event.

Expressing gratitude to the Prime Minister on behalf of the state’s farmers, the Chief Minister said Rs 14.86 crore has been credited to the bank accounts of 74,299 farmers in Palwal district.

With this 21st instalment, Rs 7,233.74 crore has been disbursed to the state farmers under the PM-KISAN scheme so far.

In his address, CM Saini highlighted that PM Modi is consistently working to empower farmers and enhance their prosperity. He urged farmers to move beyond traditional farming, focus on value-added crops, establish farm processing units, adopt the farm-to-fork model, and promote agri-tourism and branding.

The Chief Minister said the Prime Minister has emphasised four key pillars to achieve the vision of a developed India by 2047 – the farmer, the poor, the women and the youth.

He highlighted that the prosperity of farmers, the first pillar, is crucial to realising this vision. To achieve this, Haryana is continuously working to ensure the welfare of farmers and make agriculture a profitable sector. Under the visionary leadership of PM Modi, Haryana is progressing rapidly towards the goal of a “Developed India — Developed Haryana”.

He added that by 2047, when India celebrates the centenary of its Independence, farmers will be self-reliant, water and environment conscious, digitally empowered, connected to global markets and a centre for high-quality and branded produce.

Referring to the various schemes implemented for farmer welfare, the Chief Minister said that under the Prime Minister’s leadership, the farmers have become the centre of national policy.

While the state promotes natural farming, the government is also encouraging horticultural crops as an alternative to traditional crops to boost fruit and vegetable cultivation.

He said the incentive under the Stubble Incentive Scheme has been increased from Rs 1,000 to Rs 1,200 per acre. Under the Bhavantar Bharpai Yojana, designed to protect horticultural farmers from market fluctuations, assistance totalling Rs 135 crore has been directly transferred to the bank accounts of about 30,000 farmers over the past 11 years.

–IANS

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