PM launches One Nation, One Fertiliser; releases Rs 16,000 cr under PM-KISAN

Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Jan Urvarak Pariyojana — One Nation One Fertiliser at the PM Kisan Samman Sammelan 2022 at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) in New Delhi on October 17. During the event, the Prime Minister also released the 12th instalment amount of Rs 16,000 crores under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) through Direct Benefit Transfer.

With One Nation, One Fertiliser, the farmer is going to get rid of all kinds of confusion about the quality of the fertilizer and its availability, said Modi. “Now the urea sold in the country will be of the same name, same brand and same quality and this brand is Bharat! Now urea will be available only under (the) ‘Bharat’ brand name in the entire country,” Modi remarked. He further added that it would result in reducing the cost of fertilizers and increase their availability.

Regarding the fresh instalment of PM-KISAN, the Prime Minister said that the money reaches the accounts of the farmers directly without involving any middleman. He expressed happiness that this instalment was reaching the farmers just before Diwali. Under the scheme, eligible farmer families are provided benefits of Rs 6000 per year in three equal instalments of Rs 2000 each.

Highlighting the transformational initiative of PM-KISAN, the Prime Minister remarked that PM Kisan Samman Nidhi is an example of how small farmers benefit from the use of modern technology. “Since the launch of this scheme, more than Rs 2 lakh crore has been directly transferred to the bank accounts of farmers. For small farmers who are more than 85 per cent of the country's farmers, this is a huge support,” he said.

The Prime Minister also inaugurated 600 Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samruddhi Kendras (PMKSKs) under the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilisers. He elaborated that these Kendras are not merely sales centres for fertilizer but a mechanism for establishing a deep bond with the farmers of the country. He said that a campaign was being initiated to develop more than 3.25 lakh fertilizer shops across the country as PMKSKs. These will be centres where farmers can buy not only fertilizers and seeds but also implement soil testing and avail useful information about farming techniques.

Recalling the time before 2014 when farmers had to deal with the troubled agricultural sector and black marketing of urea, the Prime Minister exclaimed that the farmers had to bear the brunt of the baton to claim what was rightfully theirs. He interjected that the government tackled the black marketing of urea by coating it with 100 per cent neem. “We worked hard to restart the country's six largest urea factories, which were closed for years,” he added.

Highlighting the steps that have immensely benefited the hardworking farmers, the Prime Minister remarked that India was rapidly moving towards self-sufficiency in liquid nano urea production. Stating its benefits, the Prime Minister said that a sack full of urea could now be replaced by a single bottle of nano urea. He further added that the transportation costs of urea would go down significantly.

The PM Kisan Samman Sammelan brings together more than 13,500 farmers from across the country and around 1500 agri start-ups. More than 1 crore farmers from various institutions are expected to attend the event virtually. The Sammelan will also witness the participation of researchers, policymakers and other stakeholders.