Team Blitz India
NEW DELHI: The Central Government is planning to double the annual payout to landowning female farmers to Rs 12,000, according to sources, a move likely to appeal to women voters ahead of a General Election in 2024. The plan is likely to be announced in the Budget on February 1, according to Reuters.
At present, under the “Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi” programme, the Government transfers Rs 6,000 annually to both men and women farmers. It had disbursed more than ₹2.81 trillion to more than 110 million farmers in 15 instalments up to last November, according to Government estimates.
The agriculture ministry declined to comment while the finance ministry did not respond to an email seeking comment, said the news agency. Expanding the financial support to women farmers would not have any significant impact on Government finances since the amount will be relatively small in what is estimated to be a $550 billion budget, said the source.
Women have been a key support base for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is widely expected to win the next election.Women make up about 33 per cent of cultivators and about 47 per cent of agricultural labourers.
