Modi, With Eye on Election, Begins Distributing Cash to Farmers
Narendra Modi during a public rally.
Photographer: Sanjay Kanojia/AFP via Getty Images
This article is for subscribers only.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched an income support program for small farmers in a bid to woo a key voter base ahead of the general election due by May.
The government started distributing the first installment of 2,000 rupees ($28) to farmers who hold as much as 2 hectares (4.9 acres) of land. Under the program, it proposes spending 200 billion rupees this fiscal year ending March and 750 billion rupees in the next.