Prime Minister Narendra Modi releases 12th tranche of farmer income support

Prime Minister Narendra Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 17 released the 12th tranche of the income support to farmers.

More than 8 crore farmers received over Rs 16,000 crore in their bank accounts under the 12th tranche of the PM Kisan Samman Nidi scheme. Over Rs 2 lakh crores were disbursed to 11 crore farmers in the previous 11 tranches of the scheme.

PM Modi, at an event in Delhi, also launched the Agri Startup Conclave and Exhibition as well as inaugurated 600 Kisan Samruddhi Kendras. He also unveiled the government’s one nation, one fertilizer initiative under which urea will be sold under the ‘Bharat’ brand.

The prime minister hailed the initiative taken by start-ups in the agriculture sector. Around 1500 start-ups are participating in the event, that seeks to facilitate interaction with farmers, farmer producer organizations, experts and corporates.

“More and more start-ups in agriculture sector augurs well for the sector and rural economy,” PM Modi said.

The newly launched Kisan Samruddhi Kendras will provide agri-inputs like fertilizers, seeds, implements; testing facilities for soil, seeds, fertilizers; and provide information regarding various government schemes. The government aims to convert over 3.15 lakh fertilizer shops into the Kisan Samruddhi Kendras.

Need self-reliance in food, farm inputs

India cannot continue to be reliant on imports to meet its food and farm input needs, the prime minister said in his address, calling on farmers to lower dependency on such shipments.

The country relies on imported crude oil, edible oil and fertilizers, the prices of which have spiked since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine earlier this year.

The need of the hour is to adopt technology-based modern farming techniques, the prime minister said, calling farmers to be judicious in use of resources like water and other key inputs.

The country is working towards self-reliance in in urea through use of liquid nano-urea, the prime minister said.

Agriculture, which employs more than half of the workforce in the world’s second-most populous country, makes up about 15 percent of India’s economic output.

About half of the farmlands still depend on the monsoon for farming. Changing rainfall patterns and heat waves have threatened farm output in recent years.

The government has formed a committee, which comprises representatives of the central and state governments, farmers, agricultural scientists, and economists, to look at making the minimum support price regime effective and transparent and also look at zero-budget farming and changing crop patterns.