PM to flag off 100th Kisan Rail on Monday

The multi-commodity train service will carry vegetables such as cauliflower, capsicum, cabbage, drumstick, chilli and onion as well as fruits like grape, orange, pomegranate, banana and custard apple, it added.Loading and unloading of perishable commodities will be permitted at all stoppages en route with no bar on the size of consignment, the Prime Ministers Office PMO said, adding that the Centre has extended a 50-per cent subsidy on the transportation of fruits and vegetables.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will flag off the 100th ''Kisan Rail'' from Sangola in Maharashtra to Shalimar in West Bengal on December 28 via video-conferencing, his office said on Saturday. The multi-commodity train service will carry vegetables such as cauliflower, capsicum, cabbage, drumstick, chilli and onion as well as fruits like grape, orange, pomegranate, banana and custard apple, it added.

Loading and unloading of perishable commodities will be permitted at all stoppages en route with no bar on the size of consignment, the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said, adding that the Centre has extended a 50-per cent subsidy on the transportation of fruits and vegetables. It may be noted that the first Kisan Rail was introduced from Devlali to Danapur on August 7, which was further extended up to Muzaffarpur.

As a result of a good response from farmers, its frequency was increased from a weekly service to three days in a week, the PMO said. ''Kisan Rail has been a game-changer in ensuring fast transportation of agriculture products across the nation. It provides a seamless supply chain of perishable produce,'' it said.

The launch of the train by Modi comes amid protests by a section of farmers against three farm laws near Delhi's borders.