PM Modi assumes office; signs first file about release of PM Kisan Nidhi funds

Aditi Tandon

New Delhi, June 10

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday assumed office saying his is a government committed to ‘kisan kalyan’.

The first decision Modi took as PM pertained to the ongoing government flagship scheme on direct cash transfer to small and marginal farmers.

The PM signed his first file authorising the release of the 17th instalment of PM Kisan Nidhi.

This will benefit 9.3 crore farmers through disbursal of Rs 20,000 crore.

After signing the file, Modi said, “Ours is a government committed to ‘kisan kalyan’. 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.”

Farmer angst hit the ruling BJP hard in the general election, with farmers in Punjab expressing their displeasure with the BJP candidates by preventing them from campaigning in villages.

The BJP lost several Lok Sabha seats as a result.

So Modi appears to have made farmers the top priority of his government going forward, especially considering the fact that Punjab is the only state apart from Tamil Nadu and Manipur where the BJP did not open its account.