PM Modi to release Rs 20,000 crore to farmers on June 18

New Delhi: In a first public meeting after assuming office for a third consecutive term, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address a farmers' rally and release the 17th instalment of the PM-KISAN scheme amounting to over Rs 20,000 crore to 9.26 crore farmers in Varanasi on June 18.

This will also be the PM’s first visit to his parliamentary constituency after taking charge. During the event, the PM will also confer certificates to more than 30,000 members of self-help groups (SHGs) who have been trained as 'Krishi Sakhis' to work as para-extension workers, supporting fellow farmers with agricultural practices.

Around 50,000 farmers are expected to attend the event, while more than 1 lakh farmers are expected to watch the programme at various agricultural research centres and gram panchayat offices.

The PM’s first public meeting related to the farming community is a clear indication by the government that the Modi-3 regime would have a pro-farmers approach. The event gained significance when a large number of farmers, mostly from Haryana, Punjab and western Uttar Pradesh, staged several protests in and around the national capital, demanding the guaranteed Minimum Support Price (MSP) for farm produce.

"Agriculture has always been a priority for the PM in his past two tenures. He took several key decisions in the interest of farmers. After taking oath as PM, Modi ji first signed a file related to the release of the 17th installment of the PM-KISAN scheme," Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan told media here.  

Chouhan noted that the Centre has disbursed over Rs 3.04 lakh crore to more than 11 crore farmers across the country since the scheme's inception.