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The government on Friday released over Rs 540 crore under the 21st instalment of the PM-KISAN scheme to more than 27 lakh farmers of three food-affected states - Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, and Uttarakhand. The PM-KISAN scheme is a central sector scheme launched in February 2019 by the Prime Minister to supplement the financial needs of land-holding farmers. Under the scheme, a financial benefit of Rs 6,000 per year is transferred in three equal instalments into the Aadhaar-seeded bank accounts of farmers through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) mode. According to an official statement, "the release of the 21st instalment of the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) scheme was declared by Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, through video conferencing." This instalment has been specially prioritised for the farmers of Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, and Uttarakhand which have been severely affected by recent floods and landslides. "A total of more than Rs 540 crore has be
Around 2,500 tourists were stranded in Uttarakhand's Mussoorie on Wednesday as the road from Dehradun to the popular hill station remained closed for the second consecutive day following cloudbursts and heavy rain in the capital. Meanwhile, Delhi witnessed a cloudy sky on Wednesday, with parts of the city receiving showers. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a yellow alert, advising that the situation be monitored and updated in line with its colour-coded guidelines. Heavy showers ravaged the Himalayan states of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, already bruised by a string of deadly natural calamities over the past couple of months, on Tuesday. The cloudbursts and heavy rains left 15 people dead, 16 missing, and more than 900 stranded in Uttarakhand, while in Himachal Pradesh, three members of a family were killed as rains triggered massive landslides and flash floods. As rehabilitation work picked up pace on Wednesday, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dha
Central government should in bipartisan manner provide financial assistance to Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand where cloudbursts and accompanying landslides and floods have claimed nearly two dozen lives and several are still missing, Congress leader Pramod Tiwari demanded in Rajya Sabha on Friday. Raising the issue through a zero hour mention, he said six people have died and 50 are missing following cloudbursts in Shimla, Mandi and Kullu districts of Himachal Pradesh. Three national highways as well as dozens of other roads have shut due to flooding, stranding tourists and other commuters. In neighbouring Uttarakhand, 16 people have died and many are missing following heavy rains. "Due to cloudburst in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, 22 people have died and 60 are missing," he said. He demanded that the central government should provide adequate financial assistance. "Last time, Himachal Pradesh was not given financial assistance," he said. Tiruchi Siva of DMK raised the we
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued forecasts for significant rainfall activity along the west coast of India on a regular basis and a red alert for Kerala in the early morning of July 30, IMD chief Mrutyunjay Mohapatra said on Thursday. Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday said the Kerala government did not heed the Centre's warning regarding a possible natural calamity in Wayanad due to heavy rains. Heavy rain-induced landslides claimed over 150 lives in Wayanad district on Tuesday morning (July 30). Responding to Shah's claim, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said on Wednesday that the IMD had only issued an orange alert in the district ahead of the landslides. However, he said that the district received over 572 mm of rainfall, which was significantly higher than what was predicted by the IMD. During an online press conference, the IMD chief said the weather department had issued an extended range forecast for significant rainfall activity along the we