New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi flaged off 100th Kisan Rail via video conferencing today. The train service inaugurated by the Prime Minister will connect Sangola in Maharashtra to Shalimar in West Bengal. Union Ministers Narendra Singh Tomar and Piyush Goyal were also present during the event.

After the inauguration Prime Minister said that despite the hurdles presnted due to the global pandemic "Kisan Rail network expanded in last four months and got its 100th rail now." During his address PM Modi mentioned that Kisan Rail is "big step towards empowering the farmers and increasing their income."

According to an official statement, the multi-commodity train service will carry vegetables such as cauliflower, capsicum, cabbage, drumsticks, chillies, onion, as well as fruits like grapes, oranges, pomegranate, banana, custard apple etc.

'Kisan Rail has been a game-changer in ensuring fast transportation of agricultural produce across the nation. It provides a seamless supply chain of perishable produce,' says the official statement by the Prime Minister's office.

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Under the Kisan Rail Project started earlier this year,  potential circuits for movement of vegetables, fruits, and other perishables are being identified in consultation with Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare and Agriculture/Animal Husbandry/Fisheries Departments of State Governments. The assessment is done on the basis of the seasonal availability of these items for both way traffic. The first Kisan Rail was introduced from Devlali in Maharashtra to Danapur in Bihar on 7th August 2020. It was further extended up to Muzaffarpur.

The statement from PMO says that due to the good response from the farmers, the frequency of the train service was also increased from weekly to three days in a week. The government has also extended a subsidy of 50% on the transportation of fruits and vegetables.

Meanwhile, farmers continue to protest against the new Farm laws on Delhi borders. The protesting farmer unions on Saturday decided to resume their dialogue with the government and have proposed December 29 as the date for the next round of talks. The decision was taken at a meeting of Sanyukt Kisan Morcha, an umbrella body of 40 farmer unions protesting at various Delhi border points. The agitation of farmers against the three agricultural laws passed by the Centre has entered its 32nd continuous day