PM to release Rs 20,000 cr through DBT to 9.4 crore farmers

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to release the 18th instalment of the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) scheme on Saturday, at an event in Washim, Maharashtra.

According to the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, this instalment, amounting to more than Rs 20,000 crore, will be disbursed through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) to over 9.4 crore farmers nationwide, ensuring financial support without the involvement of intermediaries.

The occasion is being marked as PM-KISAN Utsav Divas across India, with around 2.5 crore farmers expected to join the event via webcasts from over 732 Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs), one lakh Primary Agricultural Cooperative Societies, and five lakh Common Service Centres.

Launched in February 2019, the PM-KISAN scheme provides an annual financial benefit of Rs 6,000 to landholding farmers, disbursed in three equal instalments. With this 18th instalment, the total disbursement under the scheme will surpass Rs 3.45 lakh crore, benefiting more than 11 crore farmers across the country.

Maharashtra alone has seen the transfer of Rs 32,000 crore to around 1.20 crore farmers in the state, and in this latest instalment, about 91.51 lakh farmers will receive over Rs 1,900 crore.

The Prime Minister will also distribute an additional Rs 2,000 crore to Maharashtra's farmers under the fifth instalment of the Namo Shetkari Mahasanman Nidhi Yojana.

In a significant step to strengthen agricultural infrastructure, Prime Minister Modi will dedicate several projects under the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF) that have been completed in the first 100 days of the new government.

Launched in 2020, the AIF provides medium- to long-term financing aimed at improving post-harvest management and community farming infrastructure.

Over 10,066 projects have been sanctioned nationwide, with more than 7,500 projects already completed. These projects are crucial in boosting storage, processing, and logistics facilities for farmers, enabling better value addition and market access.

Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) will also benefit from this event, with the Prime Minister dedicating around 9,200 FPOs formed under a Central Sector Scheme (CSS) that aims to establish 10,000 FPOs nationwide.

These FPOs, which now have a combined annual turnover of Rs 1,300 crore, support 24 lakh farmers, including 8.3 lakh women and 5.77 lakh SC and ST beneficiaries.

This initiative is part of a broader effort to enhance the livelihoods of small, marginal, and landless farmers by improving market access and building strong value chains.

The Prime Minister will also launch new initiatives aimed at improving dairy farming. An indigenous sex-sorted semen production technology, designed to lower costs for farmers, will be introduced along with the Gau Chip for cattle and Mahish Chip for buffalo.

These genomic chips will help farmers make informed decisions in selecting high-quality animals, improving dairy productivity and the overall efficiency of the sector.

In alignment with India's clean energy goals, Prime Minister Modi will lead the e-Distribution of Letters of Award for 3,000 MW under the KUSUM-C (MSKVY 2.0) scheme, which aims to promote solar energy for agricultural use. As part of this initiative, five solar parks with a combined capacity of 19 MW will be inaugurated.

These parks, located in Dhondalgaon, Bamni Bk., Kondgiri, Jalalabad, and Palshi Bk., will provide farmers with daytime electricity, improving energy access while allowing farmers to earn additional income by leasing land for solar installations.