Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on Wednesday release the 15th installment of PM-KISAN, a cash-transfer scheme for farmers, at Jharkhand’s Khumti, an official statement said on Tuesday.
At the event, the PM will disburse nearly ₹ 18,000 crore to 80 million eligible farmers through the direct benefit transfer mode.In the 14th installment, nearly 80.5 million farmers had received a total of ₹ 17,000 crore in their bank accounts through electronic transfer made by Modi in July.
Under PM-KISAN, the government provides income support of ₹ 6,000 a year to farmers with a valid enrolment, paid in three equal cash transfers of ₹ 2,000—one every four months. It was launched on 24 February 2019, when the first installment was paid.
Modi had disbursed ₹ 16,800 crore to nearly 80 million farmers under the 13th installment in February this year at Karnataka’s Belagavi.
The 11th and 12th installments under the PM-KISAN scheme were released in May and October 2022. The scheme has also benefited over 30 million women farmers who collectively received over ₹ 53,600 crores, the government said.
Since its launch, the government has disbursed more than ₹ 2.42 lakh crore to eligible farmers through various installments. PM-KISAN is a central sector scheme with 100 per cent funding from the central government.
Identification of beneficiaries is the responsibility of State governments as per scheme guidelines. Any land-owning farming household can enroll itself subject to exclusions, such as income ceilings, tax payments and total asset value.