Prime Minister Narendra Modi today released ₹ 18,000 crores to over nine crore farmer families under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) programme. With the push of a button, PM Modi enabled the transfer of money at an event that the ruling BJP has made into a big exercise amid the protest by farmers against three new farm laws.
Referring to the opposition’s attack that farmers will not benefit from the newly enacted farm laws, Modi said, "Some people are spreading myth and lies that land will be taken away if farmers enter into contract farming.”
PM Modi attacked the West Bengal government for not receiving central funds for farmers. "I am saddened that only the West Bengal government is not associated with this scheme. Many farmers from Bengal have even written to the centre. It is the same Bengal government that is opposing this benefit for the farmers, but goes to Punjab and supports farm protest," PM Modi said.
Mamata Banerjee’s government aspires to get the central funds for farmers through it, but the centre wants to send the funds to farmers directly. "These people who are talking big things on behalf of farmers today, what did they do when they were in power? We brought positive changes," PM Modi said.
Today's 7th instalment of ₹ 2,000 of PM-KISAN scheme to farmers also comes on the birth anniversary of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, celebrated as Good Governance Day by the ruling BJP.
The PM-KISAN programme provides ₹ 6,000 per year to small and marginal farmers, payable in three instalments of ₹ 2,000 each, which is directly transferred to the bank accounts of farmers.
PM Modi interacted with some selected farmers for the occasion from several states through video conference. The farmers spoke about the problems they have suffered and the innovations they made with the help of government grants.
This event is being seen as an attempt to blunt the farmer protests by highlighting the advantages of agricultural reform, profits the farmers have earned and brought out stories of success from villages across India.
Thousands of farmers have camped on the Delhi-Haryana border, protesting against the farm laws, demanding to repeal them as they believe that the minimum support price (MSP) will be done with the new laws.
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However, the government assures that the farm laws will remove middlemen and are useful for the farmers, and MSP would remain.
The deadlock remains while another round of talks between farmer leaders and the government is awaited.