BY TC News Desk
Agartala, 21st February 2025: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will release the 19th installment of the Kisan Samman Nidhi, amounting to over Rs 22,000 crore, directly into the bank accounts of over 9 crore 70 thousand farmers across the country on February 24th, through the ‘Kisan Samman Samaroh’ programme in Bhagalpur, Bihar. In Tripura, Rs 50 crore 86 lakh 30 thousand will be deposited into the accounts of over 2 lakh 54 thousand farmers on that day, announced Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare Minister Ratan Lal Nath today.
Speaking to reporters at the Civil Secretariat this evening, Minister Nath highlighted the significance of the initiative, stating, “Farmers are the backbone of our nation, teachers are the brain, and students are the carriers. PM Modi is making untiring efforts to more than double the farmers’ income. Our government is also working in that direction despite the limited agricultural land available in the state. In Tripura, there are 60 lakh 62 thousand kanis of land, out of which 29 lakh kanis are used for agriculture. Paddy is cultivated on 15 lakh kanis of this land. Among the eight districts, South, Gomati, and Sepahijala have surplus production in paddy, followed by Dhalai and Khowai districts.”
Minister Nath further elaborated, “Under the PM-KISAN Samman Nidhi Yojana, Rs 791 crore 75 lakh 82 thousand has been disbursed through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) into the bank accounts of 2 lakh 77 thousand 970 farmers in Tripura, over a total of 18 installments. In the upcoming PM-Kisan Samman Samaroh in Bihar, the 19th installment of Rs 50 crore 86 lakh 30 thousand will be disbursed to the bank accounts of over 2 lakh 54 thousand farmers. Among the eight districts, North Tripura district leads in terms of benefiting farmers.”
The minister announced that on February 24th, Food, Civil Supplies, and Consumer Affairs Minister Sushanta Chowdhury will be present at the state-level programme at the Agricultural Research Station in AD Nagar. Additionally, all district headquarters and agricultural sub-divisional headquarters will virtually participate in PM Modi’s event. Furthermore, all Krishi Vigyan Kendras will organize exhibitions for two to three days to showcase the advancements in agriculture over the past six and a half years.
Minister Nath also provided insights into the state’s efforts in supporting farmers, stating, “Since 2018-19, loans worth Rs 2142.58 crore have been disbursed among 3 lakh 81 thousand 685 farmers in the state. The minimum loan amount disbursed is Rs 36,000. So far, 2 lakh 25 thousand 365 metric tons of paddy have been procured from 1 lakh 17 thousand 108 farmers, amounting to Rs 446 crore 15 lakh 40 thousand since the 2018-19 financial year. Based on the MSP fixed by the Centre, farmers have received an additional Rs 112 crore compared to the normal market rate of paddy per kilogram. This year, 16,785 farmers have sold their paddy. To date, 1 lakh 88 thousand 342 farmers in Tripura have received soil health cards.”
Minister Nath was accompanied by Secretary Apurba Roy during the press conference.
