Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday released the 21st instalment of the PM-KISAN scheme, which provides ₹6,000 every year to eligible farmer families. Under this instalment, around 90 million farmers across the country will receive ₹18,000 crore through the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) system. The amount is paid in three equal instalments and directly credited to beneficiaries.
The Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) launched on February 24, 2019, provides annual income support to all landholding farmer families with cultivable land. Under this Central Sector Scheme, each eligible farmer family is entitled to ₹6,000 per year, transferred in three instalments of ₹2,000 into Aadhaar-linked bank accounts via DBT.
Also Read | 150 years of ‘Vande Mataram’: PM Modi launches nationwide commemoration
One of the world's largest DBT schemes
Since its launch, over ₹3.70 trillion has been disbursed to more than 110 million farmer families across India. The government says the scheme has emerged as one of the largest DBT programmes globally, delivering financial support directly to beneficiaries. Over 25% of the benefits have gone to women farmers, underscoring the scheme’s focus on inclusivity.
Only farmers whose land records are uploaded, whose bank accounts are Aadhaar-seeded, and who have completed eKYC are eligible to receive the instalments.
Also Read | 'Operation Sindoor was only trailer...' Army Chief warns Pakistan over cross-border terror
The Centre has also developed the PM-KISAN Portal, a unified national platform for managing farmer details, enabling verified data, monitoring fund transfers, and integrating benefit payments with the Public Financial Management System (PFMS). The portal also provides location-wise availability of beneficiary lists and enables easier tracking of transactions.
In Uttar Pradesh, more than 21.5 million farmers will receive the 21st instalment, with ₹4,314.26 crore being transferred directly. UP farmers have received ₹90,354.32 crore under the scheme up to the 20th instalment.
