Finance
By: Shree1news, 21 DEC 2020
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch the subsequent tranche of PM-Kisan, the direct cash-transfer scheme for farmers, making payments worth Rs18,000 crore to 80 million farmers and likewise chat with them virtually on Christmas Day, the agriculture ministry has mentioned.
Modi had launched the first tranche in 2019 and can achieve this again at a time when thousands of farmers, largely from Punjab, are protesting three agricultural laws they are saying will harm their livelihoods. The government says the reforms will give farmers more market access and increase funding within the farm sector.
“It will be a freewheeling conversation. The Prime Minister is likely to talk about the new farm laws and how they will benefit farmers,” an official mentioned, requesting anonymity.
Under PM-Kisan, the government provides income support of Rs6,000 a year to farmers with valid enrolment, paid in three equal cash transfers of Rs2,000, once each four months. It was launched on February 24 2019, when the first instalment was paid.
The Prime Minister will most likely ask them impromptu questions on how they have benefited from the scheme and “take a briefing from them on what they’re growing and what else they want to see done for them ahead of the budget”, the official mentioned.
Farmers from everywhere in the nation will be connected online for the interaction, according to the official.
The Prime Minister also intends to receive suggestions on the ground realities of farming, he mentioned.
The Modi government has ramped up its outreach to stanch an enormous ongoing agitation by thousands of farmers who have encircled Delhi, calling for scrapping a set of farm reform laws.
PM Modi has frequently been explaining the advantages of the farm reforms and assuring farmers that the existing government support mechanism, together with minimum support price and agriculture mandis, will continue.
“Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar has expressed his feelings by writing a letter to the farmer brothers and sisters, attempting to have a polite dialogue. I request all the farmers to read it,” PM Modi had tweeted on Thursday.
Cash transfers under the programme take place every four months: December to March, April to July and August to November.
Source: A-N
