PM Modi releases Rs 16,000 crore as Samman Nidhi to farmers

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday released the 12th instalment amount of Rs  16.000 crore to farmers under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi through Direct Benefit Transfer. Inaugurating the PM Kisan Samman Sammelan 2022 in New Delhi, Modi said, PM-KISAN is a transformational initiative for the farmers. He said, today's event has brought together farmers, agri-startups, and stakeholders on a single platform. He said, Agri-startups in the country are working to help farmers increase harvest, improve soil health, and are creating easy-to-use technology to improve agriculture outcomes. Prime Minister Modi stressed on the need to reduce the dependence on foreign imports and that is the reason the impetus has been given to the Biofuel Ethanol. He said, Ethanol production by the farmers will give rise to development of sustainable automobile fuels. Mr. Modi said, government is dedicated to provide the best technology and innovation in the agricultural sector. He informed that India is among the top 10 countries in terms of agricultural exports. Mr. Modi said, Agri exports increased by 18 percent despite the problems of the worldwide pandemic.
 Modi said the need of the hour is to adopt technology-based modern farming techniques. Startups and innovative youth are the future of Indian agriculture and the rural economy of India. He said, over 22 crore Soil Health Cards have been given so that farmers have ready information about their land and harvest.  Modi said, during the last 7 to 8 year about one thousand seven hundred new varieties of seeds that are suited to the changed climate conditions have been made available to the farmers. Prime Minister said, India is working towards aatmanirbharta in urea production and moving towards liquid nano-urea. He said, this will be a major milestone for the agriculture sector. Modi said, Nano Urea will emerge as a cost-effective medium for farming purposes. He said, from today onwards, urea will be widely sold under the single brand name Bharat.

On the occasion, Agriculture and Farmer Welfare Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said, government has taken several steps to increase the income of farmers. He said, more than two thousand Agri Startups are working and helping farmers to reduce losses in the agricultural sector. Mr. Tomar said, government is trying to take the number of Agri Startups to ten thousand. The Minister said, so far, eligible farmer families have received benefits of more than two lakh crore rupees under PM-KISAN. Chemical and Fertilizer Minister Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya said that Agricultural research in the country has got a boost under the Narendra Modi government. He said, now India has became the first country in the world to start commercial production of nano urea. Dr. Mandaviya said, the government is providing a better market to farmers so that they can get better and fair price for their produce.

Prime Minister inaugurated the Agri Startup Conclave and Exhibition. About 300 startups are showcasing their innovation. These are related to Precision Farming, Post-Harvest and Value Add Solutions, Allied Agriculture, Waste to Wealth, Mechanisation for Small Farmers, Supply Chain Management, Argi-Logistic, among others. The platform will facilitate startups to interact with farmers, Farmer Producer Organizations, agri-experts and corporates.