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Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during a recent visit to Maharashtra, asserted that the NDA government, both at the state and central levels, has consistently advocated for the welfare of farmers. He specifically targeted the Congress party, accusing them of harboring animosity towards the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme due to its inherent transparency, which leaves no room for corruption. His remarks were made during the distribution of the 18th installment of funds under the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme in Washim, Maharashtra.
Modi highlighted the historical struggles faced by farmers in regions like Vidarbha, attributing their plight to the policies implemented by Congress and its allies. He criticized the Maha Vikas Aghadi government for prioritizing obstruction of farmer-centric projects and engaging in corruption over genuine support for the agricultural community. Furthermore, he accused the Congress government in Karnataka of withholding additional financial assistance intended for farmers, an allocation previously provided by the BJP government. He also drew attention to the growing discontent among farmers in Telangana, who are questioning the state government's commitment to its earlier pledge of loan waivers.
Beyond the distribution of the 18th installment of PM Kisan Samman Nidhi, worth ₹20,000 crore and benefiting approximately 9.5 crore farmers, Modi inaugurated various initiatives aimed at bolstering agricultural infrastructure and empowering farmers. These included the fifth installment distribution under the NaMo Shetkari Mahasanman Nidhi Yojana, the inauguration of over 7,500 projects under the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF), the establishment of 9,200 farmer producer organizations (FPOs), the commissioning of five solar parks in Maharashtra with a combined capacity of 19 MW, and the introduction of the Unified Genomic Chip for cattle and indigenous sex-sorted semen technology. These measures, according to Modi, demonstrate the Maharashtra government's dedication to providing double benefits to its farmers.
Modi commended the zero electricity bill policy implemented for farmers by the Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's government. He attributed this policy to the government's commitment to enhancing the well-being of farmers. Union Minister of Agriculture Shivraj Singh Chouhan further emphasized the government's support for farmers, citing the introduction of 109 new high-yielding seed varieties and the decision to impose a 20% import duty on soyabean oil, a measure taken to protect domestic soyabean prices and benefit farmers. Chouhan also highlighted the reduction in export duty on onions from 40% to 20%, a step aimed at ensuring favorable prices for onion-producing farmers in Maharashtra.
Source: NDA governments stood for farmers’ welfare, says Modi in Maharashtra