BHUBANESWAR: Over 31.51 lakh farmers of Odisha received financial assistance of Rs 689.11 crore under the 18th instalment of Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana disbursed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a function in Maharashtra on Saturday.
Joining a state-level programme organised at Lok Seva Bhawan here, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi said 29.73 lakh farmers had received the 17th instalment in June while an additional 1.77 lakh got the central assistance this time.
The CM said, “The goal of the state government is to include all eligible farmers in the PM Kisan Yojana. To achieve this, a two-month special drive will begin from Nuakhai. He appealed the farmers to register their names in Jan Seva Kendras (common service centres) at the block level to avail benefits of the scheme. This facility also applies to the CM Kisan Yojana.”
Majhi urged farmers to effectively utilise the PM Kisan assistance for rabi crops. He announced a special programme to include farmers from the particularly vulnerable tribal groups (PVTG) and beneficiaries of Forest Rights Act in the PM Kisan Yojana, enabling them to benefit from the scheme.
Stating that farmers are the backbone of the economy, he said the primary responsibility of the government is to ensure their welfare. The CM also highlighted the steps taken by the government to protect the interests of farmers.
Deputy chief minister and Agriculture minister Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo and Revenue minister Suresh Pujari were present.