Gorakhpur (UP) : Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate on February 24 the government scheme of giving Rs 6,000 annual financial assistance to farmers which was announced in the interim budget, a senior BJP leader said Wednesday.The first installment of Rs 2,000 will be credited in farmers' accounts by the prime minister at the proposed Kisan Maha Adhiveshan at Fertilizer ground here, BJP zonal vice president Stayendra Sinha said.

Sinha, however, did not give the number of farmers who will receive the money on the day the scheme is launched.

The two-day farmers' conclave will be inaugurated by BJP president Amit Shah on February 23.

On Wednesday, BJP state president Sunil Bansal along with party MPs and MLAs took stock of preparation at the rally ground.

"PM Modi will inaugurate the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojna, announced in the budget, under which the first installment of Rs 2,000 will be credited in farmers' account. There will be a huge rush of over 7,000 farmers from Gorakhpur and surrounding districts for which the preparation is in full swing," said Sinha.

Under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme, farmers cultivating up to two hectares (5 acres) will get a direct cash support of Rs 6,000 annually, payable in three equal instalments of Rs 2,000 each.

Special transport arrangements have been made to ferry farmers from different areas to the rally ground, Sinha said.

Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party district president Prahlad Yadav hit out at proposed rally by the PM, saying, "In 2016, from the same Fertilizer ground, the PM had laid the foundation stone for two key projects in Gorakhpur -- the AIIMS and Fertilizer factory -- both of which have not been completed even three years after announcement.

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Mumbai (PTI): Police have arrested a man and seized over 500 grams of heroin worth Rs 2.54 crore in the illicit market from him in Mumbai, officials said on Friday.

The police's Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) made the drug seizure in Santacruz in the western suburbs. The operation was conducted by the Kandivali unit of the ANC on Thursday as part of a special crackdown against drug trafficking in the area, they said.

Acting on specific inputs, an ANC team conducted a raid in Santacruz (East) and intercepted a man. During a search, the team recovered 508 grams of high-grade heroin from his possession, an official said.

The seized contraband, a highly addictive, opioid drug derived from morphine, is estimated to be worth Rs 2.54 crore in the international market, he informed.

Following the seizure, a case was registered against the man under relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, and he was formally placed under arrest in the early hours of Friday.

The police are currently investigating the source of the drug and trying to identify the intended recipients of the consignment, he said.