PM Modi to release ₹20,500 cr PM-Kisan aid to 97 mn farmers on Aug 2

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will release the 20th installment of the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-Kisan) scheme worth Rs 20,500 crore, from Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, on August 2, benefiting 9.7 crore farmers across the country.

The announcement comes as the government's flagship direct benefit transfer scheme completes over five years since its launch in 2019. So far, Rs 3.69 lakh crore has been transferred directly to farmers' accounts through 19 installments under the programme.

"The next installment of PM-Kisan will be released on August 2. In the 20th installment, an amount of about Rs 20,500 crore will be transferred to 9.7 crore farmers," the agriculture ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.

The Prime Minister will launch the installment during a special programme organised in his parliamentary constituency of Varanasi. Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan held a preparatory meeting at Krishi Bhavan in New Delhi to review arrangements for the event.

The meeting was attended by Agriculture Secretary Devesh Chaturvedi, Director General of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research Dr M L Jat, and other senior officials of the agriculture ministry.

Under the PM-Kisan scheme, eligible farmers receive Rs 6,000 annually in three equal installments of Rs 2,000 each, transferred directly to their bank accounts.

The initiative aims to provide income support to small and marginal farming families holding cultivable land.

To receive the 20th installment, farmers must have completed their e-KYC process, ensured their Aadhaar is linked to their bank account, and maintained accurate land records. The government has been emphasising these requirements to prevent leakages and ensure benefits reach genuine beneficiaries.

The scheme has emerged as one of the government's major welfare initiatives, providing crucial financial support to farming families across rural India.