‘Urea is cheaper in India than Pakistan, China, US’: PM Modi in Rajasthan

He said that a sack of urea which costs Rs 266 in India costs about Rs 800 in Pakistan, about Rs 720 in Bangladesh and about Rs 2,100 in China. “For the same sack of urea for which you pay under Rs 300, the farmers of America have to spend over Rs 3000,” the PM said.

On the occasion, the PM released the 14th instalment amount, of about Rs 17,000 crores under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) to 8.5 crore beneficiaries. The PM also laid the foundation stone and dedicated to the nation various development projects including dedicating more than 1.25 lakh PM Kisan Samriddhi Kendras (PMKSKs), launching Urea Gold — a new variety of Urea coated with sulphur, on-boarding 1,600 Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) on Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC), inaugurating 5 new medical colleges in Rajasthan, inaugurating 6 Eklavya Model Residential Schools, also in Rajasthan, as well as laying the foundation stone for 7 more medical colleges in the state.

हमारी सरकार किसानों का खर्च कम करने के लिए पूरी ईमानदारी से काम कर रही है। पीएम किसान सम्मान निधि की किस्तें और यूरिया की कीमतें इसके बड़े उदाहरण हैं। pic.twitter.com/7318eae7dL

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 27, 2023

On Samman Nidhi, the PM said that it is the largest scheme in the world where funds are directly transferred into the bank accounts of farmers. He said that over Rs 2.6 lakh crore have been directly transferred to the bank accounts of farmers so far, including Thursday’s 14th installment.

Speaking about the dedication of more than 1.25 lakh PM Kisan Samriddhi Kendras to the country, the PM said that these would directly benefit crores of farmers at the village and block level. He said that these Kendras are being developed as one-stop shops for the needs of the farmers. These centres will also provide advanced modern information on agriculture-related issues to the farmers, as well as timely information regarding agriculture schemes run by the government. The PM advised the farmers to keep visiting the Kendras and benefit from the knowledge available there. He said that an additional 1.75 lakh PMKSKs will be established before the end of the year.

The PM also said that the on-boarding of Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) on Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) would make it easier for the farmers to take their produce to the market from any part of the country.

मुझे खुशी है कि आज राजस्थान की धरती से देशभर में सवा लाख से ज्यादा प्रधानमंत्री किसान समृद्धि केंद्र राष्ट्र को समर्पित किए गए हैं। हमारे किसान भाई-बहनों के लिए ये वन स्टॉप सेंटर की तरह हैं। pic.twitter.com/Ioj5i610Ht

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 27, 2023

Mentioning the expanding health infrastructure, the PM said that Rajasthan had only ten medical colleges till 9 years ago but today this number has reached 35.

Noting the importance of farmers of the Sikar and Shekhawati region, the PM paid tribute to their hard work despite the hardships of the terrain. The PM said that the current government at the Centre understands the pains and needs of the farmers.

PM Modi explained how, from seed to market (Beej se Bazaar tak), new systems have been created in the last 9 years. He recalled that the Soil Health Card scheme was launched from Rajasthan’s Suratgarh in 2015. Through the scheme, crores of farmers are making optimal decisions based on the knowledge about the health of the soil, the PM said.

The PM also spoke on the promotion of millet and measures like branding millets as ‘Shree Anna’. He said that through the promotion of ‘Shree Anna’, its production, processing and export are increasing. He recalled the presence of millets in the Official White House dinner during his recent visit.

The PM said, “India’s development is possible only if its villages develop. India can be developed only with developed villages. That is why the government is working to make all the facilities available in the villages, which were so far available only in the cities.”

Addressing an interaction programme with beneficiaries of his government’s Indira Gandhi Gas Cylinder Subsidy Scheme in Jaipur, Rajasthan Chief Minister Gehlot said that the PM keeps making political visits to the state on some pretext or the other. “The Prime Minister is here … the yatra is political but the pretext is sometimes the inauguration of medical colleges, something that is the job of the state government. The money the Central government gives is not a favour. When we give you a Rs 1150 cylinder for Rs 500, we are not doing a favour. It is the right of the people that whichever government is there, it should run public welfare schemes and provide relief.”

“They say that the government is distributing revdis (freebies), it is beyond my understanding. They term everything as revdi due to elections. What is their government doing in Madhya Pradesh? How can you call the welfare schemes of a government as revdi? Gehlot said.