Modi: India on path to become global hub of organic farming

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said India was on the path to becoming the global hub of organic farming and asserted that it is native and traditional to the nation as he released the 2lst instalment of PM-Kisan Samman Nidhi of more than 218,000 crore for 90 million beneficiaries.

- Divya Chandrababu and Srinivasa Rao Apparasu

Earlier in the day, the PM took part in the centenary celebrations of Sri Satya Sai Baba at Puttaparthi in Andhra Pradesh’s Sri Satya Sai district. Accompanied by chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu and deputy chief minister Pawan Kalyan, Modi offered prayers at Maha Samadhi of Sri Satya Sai Baba at Prashanti Nilayam and paid his tributes to the late spiritual leader.

Speaking in Coimbatore, Modi said that the sight of farmers greeting him by waving their towels over their heads made him feel as though the “winds of Bihar have arrived in Tamil Nadu before” him, referring to the National Democratic Alliance’s (NDA) landslide win in Bihar.

Tamil Nadu goes to the polls next year and Modi’s visit came amid the ruling coalition opposing the ongoing special intensive revision (SIR) in the state.

“When I came on the stage here, I saw several farmers waving their gamchha (towel) in the air. I felt as if Bihar’s breeze reached here even before I could,” Modi said while inaugurating the South India Natural Farming Summit 2025 in Coimbatore. On stage, Modi was flanked by governor RN Ravi and senior BJP leaders.