Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan responded to concerns raised by DMK Arani MP M.S. Tharanivendhan regarding difficulties in applying for the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme. He emphasized that the central government is fully prepared to support all states without discrimination. However, he pointed out that during both of his recent visits to Tamil Nadu, neither the state’s Agriculture Minister nor the Rural Development Minister attended the scheduled meetings.
The second phase of the Parliament Budget Session, which commenced on 10 March 2025, witnessed disruptions due to protests against the alleged imposition of Hindi. Tensions escalated in the Lok Sabha when DMK members objected to Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s statement, accusing the Tamil Nadu government of dishonesty in implementing the PM Schools for Rising India (PM SHRI) scheme. Against this backdrop, Chouhan blamed Tamil Nadu ministers for not cooperating with the Centre on farmer-related initiatives.
Speaking in the Lok Sabha during Question Hour, Chouhan reiterated the Centre’s commitment to providing an annual financial benefit of ₹6,000 to all eligible farmers under the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme. He urged state governments to cooperate in identifying farmers who had not yet been enrolled and ensure their inclusion. “If any eligible farmer is left out, we request states to help us include them. The government will also ensure that past instalments are provided to those who were previously excluded,” Chouhan stated.
He reassured that funds under the scheme would be directly transferred to farmers’ bank accounts in three equal instalments of ₹2,000, with no delays.
Chouhan Asserts Centre’s Neutral Stance On Tamil Nadu
Addressing concerns about Tamil Nadu, Chouhan stressed that the central government does not discriminate against any state. However, he expressed disappointment that, during his two visits to Tamil Nadu for agriculture and rural development discussions, state ministers failed to attend the meetings. “As a union minister, I have so far visited Tamil Nadu twice. Once for the work related to the agriculture ministry and the other for the works of the rural development ministry. In both occasions, neither the state agriculture minister nor the rural development minister came for the meeting,” he said.
“I am willing to visit Tamil Nadu again to discuss farmers’ issues. The central government remains committed to serving the people of Tamil Nadu and holds deep respect for them,” he asserted.
"I went to TN twice, once for Agro & once for Rural Development. No state minister attended meetings both times. STILL, We're giving ₹7600 Crores for MNREGA to TN. We don't discriminate. We respect Tamil Culture, Language…"
.@ChouhanShivraj Ji gave BELT TREATMENT to DMK MPs. pic.twitter.com/xQl8g1gv4O
— BhikuMhatre (@MumbaichaDon) March 11, 2025
Overview of PM Kisan Scheme
The PM Kisan Samman Nidhi is a fully centrally funded scheme that has been in operation since 1 December 2018. Under this initiative, all land-owning farmer families receive annual financial assistance of ₹6,000 in three equal instalments.
State governments and Union Territories are responsible for identifying eligible farmer families as per the scheme’s guidelines.
On 24 February 2025, the latest instalment was disbursed through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT), amounting to ₹22,000 crore. This payment benefitted 9.8 crore farmers nationwide, including 2.41 crore women farmers.
(With inputs from Business Standard)
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