Over 9.34 crore farmer families across India woke up to a direct deposit on Friday, 30 October 2026, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi transferred more than ₹18,680 crore into their accounts in a single stroke — the 24th instalment of the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi, launched from Banaskantha, Gujarat. Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma joined the event virtually and confirmed that the state's own farmers received a share of that bounty.

₹1,335 crore flows into Rajasthan's farm households

Of the national total, Rajasthan's 66.59 lakh-plus farmer families received more than ₹1,335 crore through Direct Benefit Transfer. That figure makes Rajasthan one of the scheme's larger beneficiary states, a reflection of its vast semi-arid agricultural belt stretching from the Thar Desert edge to the fertile plains of the Chambal basin.

CM Sharma hailed the transfer as a demonstration of what he called the 'double engine sarkar' — the alignment of a BJP-led state government with the BJP-led central government — delivering for farmers without the friction of inter-party disputes over fund routing.

PM-KISAN at a glance: eight years of direct income support

The PM Kisan Samman Nidhi was announced in the 2018-19 Union Budget and formally launched on 1 December 2018, with the first instalment paid out in February 2019. The scheme provides ₹6,000 per year to eligible farmer families, paid in three equal instalments of ₹2,000 directly into bank accounts via DBT — cutting out intermediaries entirely. Over seven-plus years and now 24 instalments, it has become the largest direct income-support programme for farmers in India's history by beneficiary count.

The Banaskantha venue was not incidental. Gujarat's northern district is a significant agricultural zone known for its dairy and oilseed farming, and holding the event there carried a symbolic message about the scheme's reach into diverse farming communities.

What CM Sharma said

Posting in Hindi on X, Sharma described his virtual participation in the event and emphasised the government's stated priority: 'Hamare kisan bhai-behon ka parishram desh ki samridhdhi aur khushhaali ka aadhar hai' — 'The hard work of our farmer brothers and sisters is the foundation of the nation's prosperity and happiness.' He framed the transfer as part of a continuous commitment to ensuring financial security for farm families and honouring their labour.

DBT as the delivery backbone

The use of Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) has been central to PM-KISAN since inception, and successive instalments have been cited by the government as evidence that DBT reduces leakage in welfare delivery. For Rajasthan specifically, where agricultural land is often fragmented and small-holder farming dominates, the ₹2,000-per-instalment credit provides liquidity at sowing and harvest seasons — modest but timely support that analysts consistently flag as economically meaningful for marginal farmers.

With each new instalment, the scheme also functions as a political touchstone: BJP-governed states amplify their participation figures prominently, reinforcing the double-engine narrative ahead of the next instalment cycle.