PM Modi signs first file to transfer Kisan Nidhi instalment to farmers; Opposition sees ‘grand show’

The ‘one-third’ Pradhan Mantri has done nobody a great favour by signing this file: these are legitimate entitlements due to farmers according to his Government’s own policy, Congress’ Jairam Ramesh said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi signs his first file authorising the release of the 17th instalment of PM Kisan Nidhi after assuming charge as the PM for the third successive term in New Delhi on June10, 2024. | Photo Credit: ANI

The Union Government, on June 10, released the seventeenth instalment of the PM Kisan Nidhi as the first decision of the newly sworn-in Narendra Modi government.

The Opposition said Mr. Modi, by signing the file, has done nobody a great favour as these are legitimate entitlements due to farmers according to his Government’s own policy. 

The Union Agriculture Ministry said in a release that after being sworn in as Prime Minister for the third time, Mr. Modi signed his first file authorising the release of the seventeenth instalment of PM Kisan Nidhi. “This will benefit 9.3 crore farmers and distribute around ₹20,000 crore,” the release said.

Mr. Modi said after signing the file that his Government is fully committed to the welfare of farmers. “It is therefore fitting that the first file signed on taking charge is related to farmer welfare. We want to keep working even more for the farmers and the agriculture sector in the times to come,” he said. 

Great show, says Congress

Terming the signing of the file as a “great show” Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said the sixteenth instalment of PM Kisan Nidhi was due in January 2024, but was delayed by a month for the PM’s electoral calculus. “The 17th instalment of PM Kisan Nidhi was due in April-May 2024, but was delayed by the enforcement of the Model Code of Conduct. The ‘one-third’ Pradhan Mantri has done nobody a great favour by signing this file: these are legitimate entitlements due to farmers according to his Government’s own policy,” Mr. Ramesh said. 

The Congress leader added that Mr. Modi has made a habit of converting routine administrative decisions into some great bonanza that he is bestowing upon the people.

“Clearly, he still thinks of himself as not biological, but divine,” he said and urged the PM to provide legal status to minimum support price and announce a farm loan waiver, and a Permanent Commission to effectively implement it.

He demanded a guaranteed insurance payment straight to the bank account of farmers within 30 days of crop loss and consultation with farmers to draft a new export-import policy along with doing away withGST on essential inputs for farming.