Prime Minister Modi Slams Opposition for Rumours on Fertilisers and LPG Amid West Asia Tensions

Prime Minister Narendra Modi accused the Opposition of spreading false rumours about shortages of fertilisers and cooking gas to defame him, speaking during a rally in Gujarat's Banaskantha district on Friday. Modi asserted that tensions in the Gulf and West Asia did not prevent his government from protecting farmers from higher fertiliser costs.

Funding And Subsidies

Modi released the 24th instalment of the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme, which gives six thousand rupees a year in income support to eligible farmers. He noted that while a bag of urea costs three thousand rupees in the international market, Indian farmers get it for under three hundred rupees. The international price of di-ammonium phosphate stands at five thousand rupees a bag, but Indian farmers continue to buy it at one thousand three hundred and fifty rupees. He stated that government policies have helped farmers receive or save more than fifty lakh crore rupees in recent years.

Agriculture And Development

The Prime Minister also inaugurated a one hundred and twenty-seven-acre Bharat Bovine Breeding and Research Centre at Bhildi, which serves as the country's first Centre of Excellence for the Kankrej cattle breed. He marked completing twenty-five years in public life, recalling his first oath as Gujarat chief minister in October 2001. He highlighted various agricultural milestones, noting that honey production doubled in twelve years, more than one point five billion vaccine doses were given against cattle diseases, and wheat and paddy farmers received twenty-four lakh crore rupees through the Minimum Support Price over the past dozen years.

Context

Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi is a central sector scheme launched by the government to provide income support to landholding farmer families across India. High international prices for raw materials like urea and di-ammonium phosphate often place a heavy financial burden on importing nations, requiring substantial state subsidies to keep input costs affordable for domestic cultivators.