PM-Kisan scheme: Over 10m farmers get first instalment

gorakhpur — Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday launched the ambitious Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-Kisan) scheme transferring the first instalment of Rs2,000 each to over 10 million farmers, as he slammed the opposition alleging they “remember farmers once in 10 years — just before elections”.

Initiating the electronic transfer of Rs2,000 each, he said the first instalment of money under the scheme has been deposited in accounts of 10.01 million farmers and those who have been left out will get it soon.

“The first instalment of money under the scheme has been deposited in the bank accounts of the farmers directly...those who have been left out will get it soon,” Modi told the gathering at the Fertiliser Corporation of India ground here.

The prime minister also interacted with a select group of farmers, representing different states, through video-conferencing and took a swipe at his political rivals.

“They remember farmers once in 10 years — just before elections. They get fever of loan waiver and distribute it as ‘revari” (dole) to garner votes .... they did not know that Modi will expose them this time,” he said.

The prime minister started his speech by chanting ‘Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan’ and said that for his government, the Rs750 billion scheme is not an election promise. He said he talked about it in parliament only after making budgetary allocations for it.

“Loan waivers would have been easy and convenient for us too. We could also have distributed ‘revari’ for political and election benefits, but we can’t commit such a sin. Loan waiver benefits only a select few,” he said.

Taking a jibe at opposition parties, he said that previous governments made schemes for farmers “only on paper”.

“Our opponents have become dispirited because after PM Kisan Samman Nidhi, farmers will support Modi. We make even the impossible possible,” he said.

“The Congress, the ‘mahami-

lavat’ (highly adulterated)...SP, BSP, they are all same,” he said.

“The state governments that are doing politics and not sending the list of farmers will face the curse of farmers and it will destroy their politics,” he stressed.

Targeting the Congress government on the issue of loan waiver, Modi said, “They gave loan waiver of Rs520 billion in 10 years and we

are giving Rs750 billion to farmers every year.”

He also accused the Congressled UPA government of not working on MSP and sitting on the related file since 2007 which forced the farmers to take loans.

The prime minister urged the farmers to beware of any trap and rumours stressing “this is your money and it will not be taken back”.

“The previous governments did not have the intention to help the farmers so they could not take the right decisions...and so in 2014 you gave the BJP an opportunity to change this situation,” he said.

The prime minister said his government was working with complete honesty to provide all possible resources to help farmers double their incomes by 2022. —

Today is the ‘Cash for Vote’ day. The BJP government will officially give a bribe of Rs2,000 per agricultural family to get their votes

P Chidambaram, senior Cong leader

Rs500 a month to poor farmers under PM Kisan Samman Nidhi is an insult of farmers. Farmers believe in their labour and want remunerative price of their produce but BJP mentality to give them little monetary help is atrocious and arrogant

Mayawati, BSP leader

Kerala is not a Union Territory and the Centre should ask the state government when they organise the launch (of a national scheme)

V S Sunil Kumar, Kerala minister

The present Kerala government has converted a few Central schemes into their own schemes, by just twisting their names. They only want money and using it, they come out with their own schemes

K.J. Alphons, Union Minister