Why is PM Modi's Varanasi Visit Significant for Farmers?

PM Modi was on his first visit to his constituency Varanasi, yesterday after his historic win for the third time consecutively. He released PM-KISAN’s 17th installment during his visit. More than 9.26 crore farmers received benefits equal to over Rs 20,000 crore.

Additionally, Prime Minister Modi also distributed certificates to over 30,000 self-help organizations that have been trained as Krishi Sakhis to work as para extension workers.

Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan previously explained Prime Minister Modi's Varanasi program.

About 25 million farmers nationwide participated in the event, said Union Agriculture Minister Chauhan. Moreover, the event aimed to raise awareness among farmers and involved 732 Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs), over 100,000 Primary Agricultural Cooperative Societies, and 500,000 Common Service Centers (CSCs) from all across the nation.

What is PM-KISAN Scheme?

Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme was launched in the year 2019, in order to support the financial needs of land-holding farmers and their families. The Telangana government was the one who introduced the PM-KISAN initiative as the Rythu Bandhu scheme, which involved giving a certain amount to qualified farmers directly.

PM-KISAN scheme uses Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) mechanism to deposit benefits of ₹6,000 annually into the bank accounts of farmers' families nationwide in three equal installments every four months. Over 11 crore farmers have received payments under this program totaling ₹3.04 lakh crores thus far.

When was PM-KISAN Scheme launched?

On February 24, 2019, in Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi officially launched the PM-KISAN Yojana. This scheme provides additional financial support of ₹6,000 to the marginal farmers who own land. This amount of money is deposited directly into their bank accounts in three installments over the span of one year. This scheme is a part of the Union Government, with an estimated annual expenditure of ₹75,000 crore.

Who is Eligible for this Scheme?

All farmers from urban or rural regions who come from marginal families and own cultivable land are eligible to apply for this scheme. However, certain conditions must be met in order to get the money through this scheme. The person applying must not be:

• Any institutional owners of land.
• The farmer and any family members holding any constitutional posts.
• Have good economic status
• All retired pensioners who have held constitutional posts or receive a monthly pension of at least Rs. 10,000.
• anyone who paid income tax in the previous assessment year.
• Professionals with registration with professional bodies, such as physicians, engineers, lawyers, chartered accountants, and architects.

Documents Required:

Farmers applying must bring the following documents in order to successfully register for this scheme:

• Aadhaar card
• Citizenship certificate (PAN Card/ Aadhar Card/ Voter ID)
• Landholding documents
• Bank Account Details 

How much money has been spent on the Scheme?

Since the program's launch, more than 110 million farmers have received payments totaling more than Rs 3.04 trillion, and with today's announcement, the total amount distributed to beneficiaries will exceed Rs 3.24 trillion.