CM Sai Hails PM-KISAN Installment for 24 Lakh Chhattisgarh Farmers
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai on Saturday, June 20, 2026, welcomed the release of the next installment under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) scheme, saying the prosperity of farmers is the cornerstone of a developed India and a developed Chhattisgarh. The Chief Minister said the disbursement by Prime Minister Narendra Modi would directly benefit more than 24 lakh farmer families across the state.
Context
Posting in Hindi on X, CM Sai wrote: 'अन्नदाता की समृद्धि ही विकसित भारत और विकसित छत्तीसगढ़ की आधारशिला है' — 'The prosperity of the food-provider [farmer] is the foundation of a developed India and a developed Chhattisgarh.' He noted that Prime Minister Modi would release the next PM-KISAN installment on the same day, describing the initiative as farmer-friendly and transformative for rural livelihoods.
The Chief Minister also cited a cumulative figure, stating that nearly ₹11,000 crore has so far been transferred directly into the bank accounts of farmers in Chhattisgarh since the scheme's inception — underscoring the scale of direct benefit transfer activity in the state.
Policy Backdrop
PM-KISAN was launched nationally in February 2019 by the Narendra Modi-led central government as a direct income-support programme. Under the scheme, eligible landholding farmer families receive ₹6,000 per year in three equal installments of ₹2,000 each, credited directly to their bank accounts through the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) mechanism.
Chhattisgarh, a predominantly agrarian state in central India, transitioned to a BJP-led government in late 2023 following state assembly elections, with Vishnu Deo Sai taking charge as Chief Minister in December 2023. The state's large farming community — spread across paddy-dominant districts — has been a key constituency for both the central and state governments.
Stakeholders and Impact
The immediate beneficiaries are the more than 24 lakh farmer families in Chhattisgarh who stand to receive the current installment. For smallholder and marginal farmers, the periodic infusion of ₹2,000 provides liquidity ahead of or during the sowing season, helping meet input costs without resorting to informal credit.
CM Sai invoked the 'double engine government' framework — a phrase used by the BJP to describe coordinated governance between a BJP-ruled state and the BJP-led centre — asserting that this alignment is being leveraged to raise farm incomes, make agriculture profitable, and strengthen the rural economy. Similar messaging has accompanied PM-KISAN installment releases across other BJP-governed states in recent years.
What's Next
The release of this installment is expected to trigger on-ground outreach by both state and central government machinery to ensure last-mile credit to eligible beneficiaries. Observers will watch for any supplementary state-level agricultural support announcements — such as bonus procurement prices or input subsidies — that the Chhattisgarh government may announce in tandem to amplify the scheme's rural impact.
With the Kharif sowing season approaching, the timing of the disbursement carries practical significance for farmers planning crop investments. How effectively the state channels this momentum into broader agricultural support will be a measure of the 'double engine' model's delivery on the ground.