New Delhi: The first instalment of Pradhan Mantri Krishi Samman Nidhi of Rs 2,000 each is expected to disbursed to farmers as Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses his last Mann Ki Baat programme on February 24 ahead of the Lok Sabha poll schedule announcement. The PM is himself likely to take part in the subsidy distribution ceremony of the first instalment at Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh — an electorally significant constituency which was lost to the BJP in bypolls last year — and was earlier represented by UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath.
Sources said this month’s Mann Ki Baat will be a special one as a majority of the council of ministers, BJP MPs and other senior leaders have been asked to head for rural areas and listen to the programme with ordinary folk. They are then expected to take part in ceremonies to begin distribution of the first instalment of Pradhan Mantri Krishi Samman Nidhi to farmers.
The BJP is hoping this scheme, targeted at small and marginal farmers, will be the “game-changer” for the party, which hopes to improve its chances in electorally-significant rural areas ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.
The Pradhan Mantri Krishi Samman Nidhi, a fully-funded Central scheme, is seen as one of the biggest relief measures promised by the Narendra Modi government providing Rs 6,000 per year to farmers “in three instalments”. The scheme is targeted as a relief measure to small and marginal farmers which make up the bulk of the country’s agrarian population, sources said. The Pradhan Mantri Krishi Samman Nidhi was announced by the Modi government in the Budget presented in Parliament earlier this month.
Prime Minister Modi will share his thoughts with the people in India and abroad in his Mann Ki Baat programme on All India Radio on February 24, that is likely to be the last episode of his current tenure.
Sources said that like all earlier broadcasts, this episode too is expected to keep away from political issues and will refrain from any controversy. It is expected the PM will thank the people for listening to him and sharing their thoughts and suggestions through the programme over the past several years. The PM is also expected to share the cherished memories he had by connecting with the masses through the medium of radio. Some recorded messages are also likely to be aired during the half-hour programme. The monthly radio show made its debut on October 3, 2014, a few months after the Narendra Modi government came to power, and is broadcast on the last Sunday of every month.
