Bhubaneswar: Around 34 lakh farmers in Odisha today received over Rs 692 crore as the 23^rd installment of the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM KISAN) scheme.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi released over Rs 18,880 crore to the bank accounts of around 9.44 crore farmers across the country under the scheme during an event at Tarakeswar in West Bengal. Each farmer received Rs 2,000 as 23^rd installment of PM KISAN.

The PM KISAN Yojana is a flagship farmer welfare scheme of the Union Government. Under the scheme, the Centre provides financial aid to the farmers to purchase seeds, fertilizers, pesticides, and other essential agricultural inputs. Eligible farmers receive a total of Rs 6,000 annually in three equal installments.

The state-level event for the distribution of PM KISAN assistance, organised by the Agriculture and Farmers' Empowerment Department, was held at the Mahtab Bhawan Town Hall at Rairangpur in Mayurbhanj district.

Addressing the farmers, Deputy Chief Minister and Minister of Agriculture, Farmers' Empowerment Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo stated that Odisha is the only state in the country that procures paddy from farmers at Rs 3,100 per quintal.

“In the recent years, the farmers in Odisha have successfully grown and exported fruits and vegetables to foreign countries,” he said.

According to Singh Deo, Odisha may witness the impact of 'El Niño' this year. So, the farmers should cultivate short-duration crop varieties to ensure that their production remains unaffected, he said.

The Deputy Chief Minister also encouraged farmers to increase the cultivation of pulses and oilseeds in the state. He assured that the government would procure these crops from farmers at the Minimum Support Price (MSP), which will help make Odisha self-reliant in pulses and oilseeds.