Ahmedabad, Oct 30 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi released the 24th instalment of the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) scheme on Friday, transferring more than Rs 18,680 crore directly into the bank accounts of more than 9.34 crore farmer families across the country from Bhildi in Gujarat’s Banaskantha district.

More than 9 crore farmers became the direct beneficiaries of the scheme, receiving monetary support of Rs 2,000 into their accounts, out of which 52.33 lakh farmer families received assistance exceeding Rs 1,051 crore in Gujarat alone.

Gujarat Agriculture Minister Jitu Vaghani announced these figures while briefing the media, adding that the first 23 instalments of the scheme had resulted in the disbursement of more than Rs 4.47 lakh crore to over 11 crore farmer families across the country.

After receiving the 24th instalment of the PM-KISAN in their accounts, farmers expressed gratitude to the Prime Minister and stated that this will strengthen their means of livelihood, besides enhancing their ability to experiment with advanced farming practices.

Farmers in Ranchi, Jamnagar, Motihari, Jalna, Bhubaneswar, and Patna received the financial aid under the 24th instalment of the PM-KISAN scheme.

The farming community, which benefited from the 24th instalment of the PM-KISAN scheme, thanked the government.

In Bihar’s Motihari and East Champaran district, the farmers said that the ₹2,000 assistance would enable them to purchase seeds for both Rabi and Kharif crops. Another farmer remarked that this would be beneficial for their agricultural activities.

Notably, East Champaran became one of the leading districts, where farmers received about ₹86 crore in financial aid, a sum larger than that received by any other single district.

A farmer said that the PM-KISAN assistance provides substantial support to farmers during both the Rabi and Kharif cropping seasons.

Patna farmers echoed similar sentiments, stating that the money received under the scheme remains extremely useful in purchasing fertilisers and seeds.

A beneficiary thanked the government for removing the middlemen and directly transferring the benefits into their accounts.

“There is absolutely no role of intermediaries; all farmers get the requisite help for fertilisers and seeds directly from the government. The scheme, in operation since 2019, has proven highly beneficial to the farming community,” said another farmer.

Ramnath Thakur, Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, joining the event virtually from Ranchi (Jharkhand), said that the funds provide essential support for farmers, helping them tide over crises.

A similar event was organised at the Patel Samaj Bhavan in Jamnagar, Gujarat, with a large number of farmers in attendance. Heaping praise on the scheme, they counted the benefits of the scheme and explained how this reduced their dependence on others to procure fertilisers and seeds.

One farmer, practising natural farming for the past 15 years, noted that he also got several benefits from his organic farming and was now encouraging others to adopt it.

In Bhubaneswar, Odisha, farmers said that this helped them in times of exigency, helping them mitigate financial crunch during sowing of seeds and tilling of land.

In Maharashtra’s Jalna, farmers said that this was proving to be of great help to them as they often use this money to buy seeds and fertilisers.

–IANS

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