Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will release the 18th instalment of the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) scheme on 5th October 2024 in Washim, Maharashtra. This significant event will see over 9.4 crore farmers across the country receive direct financial benefits, amounting to more than ₹20,000 crore through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) without involvement of any middlemen.

The occasion will be attended by prominent dignitaries, including Governor of Maharashtra, Shri C.P. Radhakrishnan, Minister of Agriculture, Government of India, Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Union Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Rajiv Ranjan Singh, Chief Minister of Maharashtra Shri. Eknath Shinde, Deputy Chief Ministers Shri Ajit Pawar and Shri Devendra Fadnavis and Minister of Soil & Water Conservation, Shri Sanjay Rathod, who is also the Guardian Minister for Washim and Yavatmal districts. Around 2.5 Cr. farmers will join the event including those at 732 Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs), over 1 lakh Primary Agricultural Cooperative Societies and 5 lakh Common Service Centres across the country through web cast. Special events will also be organised in the States/UTs celebrating the day of the release as PM-KISAN Utsav Divas.

Launched on 24th February 2019, the PM-KISAN scheme provides ₹6,000 annually to landholding farmers in three equal instalments. The Prime Minister will release the 18th instalment of PM-KISAN on 5th October. With the 18th instalment release, the total disbursement under the scheme will exceed ₹3.45 lakh crore, supporting more than 11 crore farmers nationwide and further reaffirming the government's commitment to rural development and agricultural prosperity.

In Maharashtra, about ₹32,000 crores have been transferred to around 1.20 cr farmers in 17 instalments of the scheme which is second highest among all the States in India. In the 18th instalment, around 91.51 lakh farmers will receive the benefits of over ₹1,900 crore.

Alongside the PM-KISAN instalment distribution, the Prime Minister will also release the additional benefit of around ₹2,000 crore to   the  farmers of  the Maharashtra under the 5th instalment of the Namo Shetkari Mahasanman Nidhi Yojana, to further support their efforts.  

Further, as a significant step for boosting agricultural infrastructure, the event will witness the dedication of several projects completed under the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF) in the first 100 days of New Govt. The Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF), launched in 2020, is a medium to long-term debt financing facility aimed at enhancing post-harvest management infrastructure and community farming assets. The scheme provides one lakh crore rupees in loans to eligible borrowers with a 3% interest subvention and a credit guarantee facility. Over the last 100 days, more than 10,066 Agri-infrastructure projects have been sanctioned nationwide, involving a sanction of of  ₹6,541 crore (including 101 projects for FPOs with a sanctioned amount of ₹97.67 crore). Additionally, 7,516 projects with a total sanction of ₹1,929 crore have been completed, including 35 FPO projects valued at ₹13.82 crore will be dedicated. These projects are strengthening the agricultural infrastructure, improving storage, and processing and logistics facilities, and enabling FPOs to scale operations, significantly benefiting farmers and the agricultural sector on the whole.

To establish a strong value supply chain and support small, marginal, and landless farmers, the Government of India launched the Central Sector Scheme (CSS) for the formation and promotion of 10,000 FPOs, covering every block in the country. To date, around 9,200 FPOs have been formed, benefiting 24 lakh farmers, including 8.3 lakh women and 5.77 lakh ST and SC beneficiaries. These FPOs now have a combined annual turnover of over ₹1,300 crore, and they will also be dedicated by the Prime Minister to the nation during the event.

In alignment with the Prime Minister's vision of 'Make in India' and 'Atmanirbhar Bharat', an indigenous sex-sorted semen production technology will also be launched at the event. This affordable technology aims to increase the availability of sex-sorted semen for farmers, reducing the cost by approximately ₹200 per dose. Additionally, the Prime Minister will launch a Unified Genomic Chip – the 'Gau Chip' for cattle and 'Mahish Chip' for buffalo – developed by the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying (DAHD). This chip, tailored for Indian breeds, will enable farmers to make informed decisions on animal selection by identifying young, high-quality bulls at an early age, improving the efficiency of dairy farming in India.

Looking ahead, the Prime Minister will also lead the e-Distribution of Letters of Award for around 3,000 MW under the KUSUM-C (MSKVY 2.0) scheme and the e-Distribution of Social Development Grants to Gram Panchayats. Five solar parks with a total capacity of 19 MW will be dedicated to the nation under MSKVY 2.0, contributing to sustainable power solutions and providing farmers with daytime electricity and an additional income source through land leasing.

The 5 Solar parks are as follows:

(i)   Dhondalgaon, Cha. Sambhaji Nagar-3 MW

(ii)  Bamni Bk. Nanded – 5 MW

(iii)   Kondgiri, Kolhapur – 3 MW

(iv) Jalalabad, Akola – 3MW

(v)  Palshi Bk. Buldhana - 5MW

******

SS