Bhubaneswar: Over 34.12 lakh farmers from Odisha have received the 21st instalment of the PM-Kisan scheme Wednesday, officials said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi released the assistance of Rs 2,000 to farmers from a programme in Tamil Nadu’s Coimbatore.
Nine crore farmers across the country received a cumulative benefit of Rs 18,000 crore, they said. Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and Deputy CM KV Singh Deo joined the programme virtually from Bhubaneswar.
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Majhi said the Centre has been providing the annual financial assistance of Rs 6,000 in three instalments to farmers to purchase seeds, fertilisers and pesticides, among others.
The state government is providing an additional Rs 4,000 in two instalments to the farmers under the CM-Kisan scheme, he said.
During the current fiscal year, Rs 2,991 crore has been provided to 51.54 lakh farmers under the CM-Kisan scheme, he added. Majhi said the children of farmers who benefit from CM-Kisan are being provided with scholarships for higher education.
A total of 13,923 students have been provided scholarships worth Rs 53.67 crores in 2024-25 under the scheme, he said.
Majhi said the main objective of his government was to empower farmers. He thanked PM Modi for selecting Kandhamal, Malkangiri, Sundargarh and Nuapada districts for the Pradhan Mantri Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana (PMDDKY).
Deputy CM Singh Deo, who also holds the Agriculture portfolio, said if the Rs 10,000 being provided by the state and Central governments is used properly, Odisha will achieve success in farming and eradicate poverty.
