India's farmer leaders have decided to mobilize farmers nationwide on a range of demands including India's withdrawal from the World Trade Organization. Thousands of Indian farmers have been protesting against the central government for days. They are demanding a legal guarantee on the Minimum Support Price for 23 crops and farm loan waivers among other things.

Farmers' Protest: Indian farmers to stage nationwide protest on February 26

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed confidence that India's rising capability in the drone sector will give the world a new leadership, as he flagged off 100 'kisan drones' in different parts of the country for spraying pesticides and other farm materials.

Modi launched the drones on Friday with officials describing it as a "very novel and exciting initiative" for farmers.

In his speech, the prime minister said a new culture of drone start-ups is getting ready in India. Their numbers will soon be in thousands from over 200 now, leading to the generation of employment opportunities on a massive scale.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/pm-modi-to-meet-afghan-sikh-hindu-community-members-soon-454207">PM Modi to meet Afghan Sikh, Hindu community members soon</a>

He said his government will ensure that there is no impediment in the sector's development and has already undertaken several reforms and policy measures to facilitate its rise. This is an example of how high the country can fly if policies are right, Modi said, noting that drones were mostly associated with the defence sector until a few years back.

This is a new chapter in providing modern farming facilities in the 21st century, and not only will it prove to be a milestone in the development of the drone sector but also open infinite possibilities, he said.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/a-nation-to-protect-priyam-gandhi-modys-book-brings-out-indias-fight-against-covid-454427">A Nation to Protect: Priyam Gandhi-Mody's book brings out India's fight against Covid</a>

The prime minister said his government did not waste time on apprehensions about opening up the drone sector but trusted India's young talent and moved ahead with a new mindset. He said his government has given priority to technology and innovations in the Budget and policy measures.

Noting that drones have diverse usages, Modi said, they have been used in the 'Swamitva Yojana' aimed at creating a record of land ownership in villages and transporting medicines and vaccines.

Watch |&nbsp;PM Modi to hold India-UAE summit with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince virtually

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/pm-modi-to-hold-india-uae-summit-with-abu-dhabi-crown-prince-virtually-454379/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

&nbsp;

He said 'kisan drones' are the beginning of a new revolution. Farmers can use high-capacity drones in the coming times to transport their produce like fruits, vegetables and flowers to markets in a minimal time, boosting their income.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed confidence that India's rising capability in the drone sector will give the world a new leadership, as he flagged off 100 'kisan drones' in different parts of the country for spraying pesticides and other farm materials.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed confidence that India's rising capability in the drone sector will give the world a new leadership, as he flagged off 100 'kisan drones' in different parts of the country for spraying pesticides and other farm materials. Modi launched the drones on Friday with officials describing it as a "very novel and exciting initiative" for farmers. In his speech, the prime minister said a new culture of drone start-ups is getting ready in India. Their numbers will soon be in thousands from over 200 now, leading to the generation of employment opportunities on a massive scale. Also read | PM Modi to meet Afghan Sikh, Hindu community members soon He said his government will ensure that there is no impediment in the sector's development and has already undertaken several reforms and policy measures to facilitate its rise. This is an example of how high the country can fly if policies are right, Modi said, noting that drones were mostly associated with the defence sector until a few years back. This is a new chapter in providing modern farming facilities in the 21st century, and not only will it prove to be a milestone in the development of the drone sector but also open infinite possibilities, he said. Also read | A Nation to Protect: Priyam Gandhi-Mody's book brings out India's fight against Covid The prime minister said his government did not waste time on apprehensions about opening up the drone sector but trusted India's young talent and moved ahead with a new mindset. He said his government has given priority to technology and innovations in the Budget and policy measures. Noting that drones have diverse usages, Modi said, they have been used in the 'Swamitva Yojana' aimed at creating a record of land ownership in villages and transporting medicines and vaccines. Watch | PM Modi to hold India-UAE summit with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince virtually He said 'kisan drones' are the beginning of a new revolution. Farmers can use high-capacity drones in the coming times to transport their produce like fruits, vegetables and flowers to markets in a minimal time, boosting their income.

PM flags off 100 'kisan drones', says new drone start-up culture rising in country

About 4.74 crore small and marginal farmers registered under the PM-Kisan scheme before the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) for general election came into effect on March 10 will get the second installment of Rs 2,000 each in their bank accounts, a senior government official said Saturday.

Of these 4.74 crore beneficiaries, 2.74 crore farmers have so far received the first installment and the rest will be covered by month-end, he said.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has allowed the Union Agriculture Ministry to transfer the first and second tranche of the payment to all those beneficiaries registered under the scheme before March 10, the official added.

Ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, the Centre announced the Rs 75,000-crore Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-Kisan) scheme under which Rs 6,000 per year would be disbursed in three instalments to around 12 crore farmers who hold cultivable land up to 2 hectares.

In the budget, the NDA government allocated a sum of Rs 20,000 crore, to transfer Rs 2,000 each to farmers in the first instalment by March-end, for the ongoing fiscal under the scheme.

The scheme was formally launched at the national level by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 24 at Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh by transferring the first instalment to 1.01 crore farmers, amounting Rs 2,021 crore.

"We were hoping to have the data of 12 crore farmers from across the country. But the data of 4.74 crore farmers has come before the MCC was enforced," the official told PTI.

The government has already released the first installment of Rs 2,000 each to 2.74 crore beneficiaries and the remaining will be covered before this month-end, he said.

With regard to the payment of the second tranche to begin from April 1, the official said the ECI has allowed to make the payment to all those beneficiaries registered before the MCC kicked in.

"We can go ahead and make the payment of first installment to the rest of the people whose names are on the portal. We can go ahead and make the payment for the second installment as well," the official said.

In Uttar Pradesh, the first installment has been released to around one crore farmers so far and the Centre has received data of additional 66 lakh farmers.

The official further said that Punjab and Haryana are amongst the top beneficiary states as more than 80 per cent of the farmers registered under the scheme have received the first installment.&nbsp;

While, some states including West Bengal, Delhi and Sikkim have yet not submitted the farmers' data and therefore no money has been transferred.

The official also mentioned that no fresh data has come from states after the MCC came into effect.

About 4.74 crore small and marginal farmers registered under the PM-Kisan scheme before the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) for general election came into effect on March 10 will get the second installment of Rs 2,000 each in their bank accounts, a senior government official said Saturday.

About 4.74 crore small and marginal farmers registered under the PM-Kisan scheme before the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) for general election came into effect on March 10 will get the second installment of Rs 2,000 each in their bank accounts, a senior government official said Saturday. Of these 4.74 crore beneficiaries, 2.74 crore farmers have so far received the first installment and the rest will be covered by month-end, he said. The Election Commission of India (ECI) has allowed the Union Agriculture Ministry to transfer the first and second tranche of the payment to all those beneficiaries registered under the scheme before March 10, the official added. Ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, the Centre announced the Rs 75,000-crore Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-Kisan) scheme under which Rs 6,000 per year would be disbursed in three instalments to around 12 crore farmers who hold cultivable land up to 2 hectares. In the budget, the NDA government allocated a sum of Rs 20,000 crore, to transfer Rs 2,000 each to farmers in the first instalment by March-end, for the ongoing fiscal under the scheme. The scheme was formally launched at the national level by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 24 at Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh by transferring the first instalment to 1.01 crore farmers, amounting Rs 2,021 crore. "We were hoping to have the data of 12 crore farmers from across the country. But the data of 4.74 crore farmers has come before the MCC was enforced," the official told PTI. The government has already released the first installment of Rs 2,000 each to 2.74 crore beneficiaries and the remaining will be covered before this month-end, he said. With regard to the payment of the second tranche to begin from April 1, the official said the ECI has allowed to make the payment to all those beneficiaries registered before the MCC kicked in. "We can go ahead and make the payment of first installment to the rest of the people whose names are on the portal. We can go ahead and make the payment for the second installment as well," the official said. In Uttar Pradesh, the first installment has been released to around one crore farmers so far and the Centre has received data of additional 66 lakh farmers. The official further said that Punjab and Haryana are amongst the top beneficiary states as more than 80 per cent of the farmers registered under the scheme have received the first installment. While, some states including West Bengal, Delhi and Sikkim have yet not submitted the farmers' data and therefore no money has been transferred. The official also mentioned that no fresh data has come from states after the MCC came into effect.

PM-Kisan scheme: About 4.74 crore farmers to get 2nd installment from next month

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