Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday. At around 5 PM, he participated in the PM Kisan Samman Sammelan in Varanasi. Following this, at around 7 PM, he is scheduled to witness the Ganga Aarti at Dashashwamedh Ghat. Later, at approximately 8 PM, he would perform pooja and darshan at the Kashi Vishwanath Temple, his office said in an official statement.
"More than 31 crore women voters have participated in this election. This is the highest number of women voters in the world. This number is close to the entire population of America. This beauty, this strength of Indian democracy attracts and influences the whole world," PM Modi said while addressing the gathering.
"I thank every voter of Varanasi for making the festival of democracy a success. The people of Kashi have not only elected an MP but also a PM for the third time. The mandate given by the people of the country in this election is truly unprecedented. This mandate has created a new history. It is rarely seen in the democratic countries of the world that an elected government returns for the third consecutive time. But this time the people of India have also done this. This happened in India 60 years ago. Since then no government in India has scored a hat-trick like this," he added.
He further added, "PM Kisan Samman Nidhi has become the world's largest Direct Benefit Transfer scheme. So far, Rs 3.25 lakh crore has been deposited in the bank accounts of crores of farmer families of the country. Here, Rs 700 crores have also been deposited into the accounts of farmers in Varanasi."
"I am happy that technology has been used better to deliver benefits to the right beneficiaries in PM Kisan Samman Nidhi. Just a few months ago, during the Vikasit Bharat Sankalp Yatra, more than 1 crore farmers joined this scheme. The government has also simplified many rules to get the benefit of PM Kisan Samman Nidhi...Now we are taking the country to new heights in the global market of packaged food and my dream is that there should be some food grain or fruit product from India on every dining table in the world," he said.
"Our Kashi has been the capital of culture. Our Kashi has been the capital of knowledge. Our Kashi has been the capital of all knowledge," the Prime Minister said.
"But along with all this, Kashi has become such a city that it has shown to the entire world that even a heritage city can write a new chapter of urban development. The mantra of development as well as heritage is visible everywhere in Kashi," he said.
"Our Kashi has been the capital of culture. Our Kashi has been the capital of knowledge. Our Kashi has been the capital of all knowledge. But along with all this, Kashi has become such a city which has shown to the entire world that even a heritage city can write a new chapter of urban development. The mantra of development as well as heritage is visible everywhere in Kashi," he said.
Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath and Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan felicitated PM Modi in Varanasi.
While addressing the gathering, Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said, "Becoming the Prime Minister for the third time with such a majority and the mandate given by the people is unprecedented in itself. On behalf of all the farmers of the country, I welcome PM Modi and congratulate him."
"Agriculture is the backbone of the Indian economy and the farmer is its soul and the BJP believes that farmers are God and serving farmers is worship of God. It is our commitment towards farmers and farming that if PM Modi signed any file after becoming the Prime Minister, it was the Kisan Samman Nidhi," he said.
After being sworn in as Prime Minister for the third time, Modi signed his first file authorising the release of the 17th installment of the PM Kisan Nidhi, as per the statement.
The installment amounted to more than Rs 20,000 crores, to around 9.26 crore beneficiary farmers under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) through Direct Benefit Transfer.
During this event PM Modi also granted certificates to more than 30,000 women from Self Help Groups (SHGs) as Krishi Sakhis. The Krishi Sakhi Convergence Program (KSCP) aims to empower rural women such as Krishi Sakhi, providing training and certification for Para-extension Workers. This aligns with the objectives of the "Lakhpati Didi" program.
On June 19, at around 9:45 AM, the Prime Minister will be visiting the ruins of Nalanda in Bihar. At around 10:30 AM, he will also inaugurate the new campus of Nalanda University in Rajgir, Bihar, and address the gathering on the occasion.
The University is a joint collaboration between India and East Aisa Summit (EAS) countries. The inauguration ceremony will be attended by several key figures, including the Head of Missions of 17 countries, as per the official statement.