New Delhi: During her maiden speech in the first joint session of the Parliament on Tuesday, President Droupadi Murmu on Tuesday said about 3 lakh women farmers have been benefitted from the PM-KISAN scheme under which an amount of Rs 54,000 crore has been transferred to them so far. The Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) scheme was launched in February 2019 but is being implemented with effect from December 2018.
Under this scheme, eligible farmers are provided with a financial benefit of Rs 6,000 per year in three equal instalments of Rs 2,000 each every four months. The fund is directly transferred to bank accounts of the beneficiaries. In her first address to the joint sitting of Parliament, as the Budget session began, Murmu said the government's priority is 11 crore small farmers who were for decades deprived of the benefits. These farmers are now being empowered.
"Under PM-KISAN, more than Rs 2.25 lakh crore has been transferred. Important thing is that about 3 lakh are women farmers," Murmu said. About Rs 54,000 crore has been transferred to these small women farmers, she said. "From setting up of farmers producers' organisations to increasing minimum support price, the government is standing with small farmers to empower them," Murmu said.
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The president further mentioned that the government is implementing several schemes like Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, Soil Health Card and Kisan Credit Card, which has been extended to fishermen and livestock farmers, to empower small farmers. As per latest government data, the number of beneficiaries who received the first installment stood at 3.16 crore. The number stood at 6.63 crore in the second installment, nearly 8.76 crore in the third, 8.96 crore in 4th, 10.49 crore in 5th, 10.23 crore in 6th, 10.23 crore in 7th, 11.16 crore in 8th, 11.19 crore in 9th, 11.16 crore in 10th, 11.27 crore in 11th instalment and 8.99 crore in 12th instalment.
PM-KISAN is a central sector scheme with 100 per cent funding from the Centre. State governments and UT administrations identify the farmer families that are eligible for support as per the scheme's guidelines.
