Prime Minister Narendra Modi has released the 24th instalment of the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme, transferring over Rs 18,690 crore to the bank accounts of more than 9.34 crore farmer families across the country. The instalment was released from Banaskantha in Gujarat, with Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan joining the programme from Raisen in Madhya Pradesh.
Under PM-KISAN, eligible landholding farmer families receive Rs 6,000 a year in three equal instalments of Rs 2,000 each, paid through Direct Benefit Transfer into Aadhaar-linked bank accounts. The scheme, launched in February 2019, has now disbursed Rs 4.47 lakh crore to eligible farmers across 23 earlier instalments.
Who benefits, and who may wait
The latest transfer reaches more than 9.34 crore farmers, including 35.38 lakh farmers in Odisha, who received Rs 3,000 crore as part of the instalment, and 66.59 lakh farming families in Rajasthan, who received more than Rs 1,335 crore. Rajasthan has received more than Rs 29,099 crore through the scheme since its launch, according to the state government.
Release, however, is not the same as credit for every registered farmer. Farmers whose land records are not seeded on the portal, whose bank accounts are not linked to Aadhaar, or whose details are under verification may find their payment held until officials complete checks. The ministry has said suspected cases falling outside the scheme’s rules have had benefits temporarily withheld till physical verification is completed. Farmers can check their payment record and e-KYC status through the Know Your Status page under Farmers Corner on the official PM-KISAN portal.
A slightly smaller count than the last round
The beneficiary count is about 10 lakh lower than at the previous release, when 9.44 crore farmers received over Rs 18,880 crore. The ministry has not published a break-up of why the count is lower, and farmers expecting the money are advised to check their status and e-KYC on the portal.
Government-cited survey findings suggest most beneficiaries put the money to farming use, with a NITI Aayog evaluation quoted by the government finding that more than 92 per cent of beneficiaries said they used the money for farming and about 85 per cent reported higher farm income and less reliance on informal loans. Those are survey responses reported by the government, not an audit of every account. Arunachal farmers have also benefited from the scheme in earlier rounds, and farm incomes in the Northeast are finding new markets abroad. For the latest instalment, the practical advice remains simple: check the official portal, complete e-KYC, and confirm bank and land details if the credit has not appeared.
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