A day after swearing in, Prime Minister Modi met with the new Cabinet met on Friday and made some key decisions fulfilling the election promises that were made in the manifesto like the Jal Shakti Ministry. The Prime Minister tweeted that path-breaking decisions taken in the first Cabinet meeting would greatly benefit farmers and traders.

People first, people always. Glad that path-breaking decisions were taken in the Cabinet, the first in this tenure. Hardworking farmers and industrious traders will benefit greatly due to these decisions. The decisions will enhance dignity and empowerment of several Indians. pic.twitter.com/U9JTXeyoVm — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) May 31, 2019

Here are some of the decisions that were taken

Expanding coverage of PM Kisan Yojana

The Cabinet has approved expanding the coverage of the PM KISAN scheme to all 14.5 crore farmers across the country. This expansion would cost Rs 87,000 crore a year.

#Cabinet approves extension of PM-Kisan yojana to all farmers. Nearly 14.5 crore farmers to benefit from the scheme. pic.twitter.com/v4zTCCEi4u — Sitanshu Kar (@DG_PIB) May 31, 2019

In February this year, the Prime Minister had launched the implementation of Rs. 75,000-crore Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) scheme. Under this scheme under Rs.6,000 per year will be given in three instalments to 12 crore small and marginal farmers holding cultivable land up to two hectares.

Livestock Vaccination

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The Food and Mouth Disease (FMD) and Brucellosis are very common diseases in livestock. The Cabinet has decided to bear the entire cost Rs 13,343 for vaccinating the livestock, aiming to control the diseases in the next 5 years and hopefully eradicate these diseases.

#Cabinet clears special scheme for Control of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) and Brucellosis The diseases of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) and Brucellosis are very common amongst the livestock – cow-bulls, buffaloes, sheep, goats, pigs etc.#CabinetDecision@PMOIndia @narendramodi pic.twitter.com/VFhCfbaGUF — Sitanshu Kar (@DG_PIB) May 31, 2019

If a cow or buffalo gets infected by FMD, there would a milk loss of 100% for 4-6 months. In the case of Brucellosis, milk production gets affected by a loss of 30%, can cause infertility and even spread the disease to the farm workers.

Pension scheme for small and medium farmers

The Cabinet has approved the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Pension Yojana. Under this scheme, small and medium farmers aged 60 and above would be receiving a pension of Rs 3,000 per month. The scheme is voluntary and has an entry age of 18-40 years.

#Cabinet approves a path breaking scheme that will provide pension cover to crores of farmers.The Central Government would spend Rs 10774.5 crores for a period of 3 years.#CabinetDecision pic.twitter.com/xaYfdAtuMS — Sitanshu Kar (@DG_PIB) May 31, 2019

In the initial phase, the plan is to cover 5 crore small and medium farmers within a span of 3 years. It would cost the exchequer Rs 10,774.5 crore per annum.

Pension scheme for traders

The Cabinet has decided that all shopkeepers, retail traders and self-employed people a minimum monthly pension of Rs 3,000. Traders with GST turnover below Rs 1.5 crore and aged between 18-40 years are eligible to enrol into the scheme.

The decision would benefit three crore, retail traders and shopkeepers. Union Minister Prakash Javadekar said that 5 crore traders are expected to join the scheme in the next 5 years.

Change in Prime Minister’s Scholarship Scheme

Yesterday Prime Minister Modi took the first decision after assuming office for the second time. A major change has been made in the Prime Minister’s Scholarship Scheme’ under the National Defence Fund (NDF), increasing the amount of scholarship and widening the ambit.