Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to release the 23rd instalment of the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) scheme on Saturday, 20 June, during a visit to Hooghly district’s Tarakeswar area in West Bengal.
“Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will give a historic gift of development schemes for farmers, livestock rearers, and youth in West Bengal,” Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said.
Under the flagship income-support programme, eligible farmers receive ₹2,000 every four months, amounting to ₹6,000 annually in three equal instalments.
According to an official government statement, the upcoming disbursement will transfer around ₹18,880 crore directly into the bank accounts of more than 9.44 crore farmers across the country through the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) mechanism.
The Agriculture Minister said that over 45.35 lakh beneficiary farmers in West Bengal will receive nearly ₹907 crore under the latest instalment. With this payment, the cumulative amount disbursed to farmers in the state since the launch of the scheme will exceed ₹15,055 crore.
At the national level, the total amount transferred under PM-KISAN since its introduction in 2019 is set to cross ₹4.46 lakh crore following the latest round of payments.
Chouhan also said that Prime Minister Modi will inaugurate and lay the foundation stone for multiple projects during his visit to West Bengal. The initiatives span sectors including agriculture, rural development, fisheries, animal husbandry, roads and railways, and are aimed at strengthening infrastructure, generating employment and supporting farming communities.
As part of the programme, the Prime Minister will virtually interact with farmers from across the country and address beneficiaries of the scheme.
Meanwhile, states are also organising parallel events to mark the occasion. In Gujarat, a state-level “Utsav Diwas” will be held at the Gandhinagar Town Hall under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel. State Agriculture Minister Jitu Vaghani and Minister of State Ramesh Katara are expected to participate.
Of the ₹18,880 crore being released nationwide under the 23rd instalment, more than ₹1,025 crore will be credited directly to the bank accounts of around 51.28 lakh farmer families in Gujarat.
The scheme has emerged as one of the country’s largest direct income-support programmes. Through 22 instalments released so far, more than ₹4.28 lakh crore has been transferred to over 11 crore farmers across India, providing financial assistance to support agricultural activities and rural livelihoods.