New Delhi: Amid the farmers’ agitation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday transferred more than Rs 18,000 crore to over nine crore beneficiary farmer families with the push of a button. On the occasion, while defending the new farm laws, PM Modi said that some people in the Opposition were misleading the farmers.
This is the seventh instalment under the PM-Kisan Samman Nidhi Scheme—a direct benefit transfer scheme for the farmers.
Speaking on the occasion, PM Modi said, “I am satisfied that now there are no middlemen, and the farmers are getting money directly. Till now 1,10,000 crore has been deposited without any cut and commission. This is good governance.”
The Prime Minister particularly lashed out at the West Bengal government for not facilitating this programme and denying benefits to 70 lakh farmers of the state. Mamata Banerjee’s ideology had “destroyed”Bengal, PM Modi said, accusing the Chief Minister of “doing politics” by blocking the scheme to provide farmers Rs 6,000 every year under “‘Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi” (PM-KISAN). The comments come in an escalating war between Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress and the BJP in the run-up to the Bengal election in four months.
“If you listen to a 15-year-old speech of Mamtaji, then you will know how much her ideology has ruined Bengal,” he said. “The public is watching those doing selfish politics very closely. The parties that do not speak on the benefit of farmers in West Bengal are engaged in harassing the citizens of Delhi here in the name of the farmers and are ruining the economy of the country.”
Mamata Banerjee, responding to his remarks, said that the Modi Government had “done nothing” to help West Bengal. “They are yet to release even a portion of the Rs 85,000 crore of outstanding dues that includes unpaid GST (Goods and Services Tax) dues of Rs 8,000 crore,” the West Bengal CM said.
In his address, PM Modi wondered why there were agitations in Bengal against the farm bills yet no protests were visible against the state government’s decision to not implement the PM-KISAN scheme, in which Rs 6,000 a year is provided to small and marginal farmers, payable in instalments of Rs 2,000 each. The fund is transferred directly to bank accounts.
“The entire country is benefiting from the PM-KISAN programme but only one state, West Bengal, has not implemented this scheme. As a result, over 70 lakh farmers are not able to take benefit of this scheme and this money is not reaching them. This is because of politics,” the PM said.
According to him, more than 23 lakh Bengal farmers had applied online to take advantage of this scheme, but the state government has stopped the verification process.
The Prime Minister also took on the Left parties for not doing anything in West Bengal when they were in the regime there, and now have reached Punjab. “If APMC is good, then why it is not in Kerala. They are doing this to remain politically relevant. The online Mandi’s have done business of Rs one lakh crore.”
“The government has tried to decrease the input cost of the farmers through various means. The government is promoting micro-irrigation per drop more crop. We have implemented the Swaminathan commission report. The government is building infrastructure and storage near the villages,” said the Prime Minister.
“The farmers can sell their produce on MSP anywhere in the country. If the farmers are getting so many rights, then what is the problem? Some are saying that MSP and mandis will be finished, but after the farm laws were passed, the government announced the MSP,” said the Prime Minister.
PM Modi also interacted with the farmers from six different states during the event. The farmers shared their experiences with the PM-KISAN scheme and also on various other initiatives taken by the government for the welfare of the farmers.
All the senior ministers, including Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, Nitin Gadkari, Piyush Goyal and Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar were also present on the occasion at different places.
The PM-Kisan Samman Nidhi Scheme was launched in February last year. It is a Central scheme with 100 per cent funding from the Central government. Under the PM-KISAN scheme, a financial benefit of Rs 6,000 per year is provided to the eligible beneficiary farmers, payable in three equal four-monthly instalments of Rs 2,000 each.
The amount is directly transferred into the bank accounts of the beneficiaries through the direct benefit transfer (DBT) mode.
With agency inputs