Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari on Saturday, 20 June 2026 lauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi for releasing the 23rd instalment of the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) scheme, describing it as another step towards an empowered farming community and a prosperous nation.

Context

Gadkari shared the update on X, writing in Hindi: 'सशक्त किसान, समृद्ध राष्ट्र की दिशा में एक और कदम!' ('Another step towards an empowered farmer, a prosperous nation!'). He noted that PM Modi released the instalment during an event held at Tarakeswar, Hooghly district, West Bengal, channelling funds directly into the bank accounts of farmers through the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) mechanism.

According to the post, more than 9.44 crore farmers across the country received a combined transfer of over ₹18,880 crore in a single disbursement. Gadkari described the scheme as a 'boon' (वरदान) for the country's farming families.

Policy Backdrop

PM-KISAN was launched in February 2019 following its announcement in the 2019-20 interim budget, initially targeting small and marginal farmers. The scheme was subsequently expanded to cover all landholding farmer families irrespective of the size of their holdings, providing an annual income support of ₹6,000 paid in three equal instalments of ₹2,000 each directly into beneficiaries' bank accounts.

The DBT architecture, scaled significantly since 2013-14, underpins PM-KISAN and a range of other central welfare programmes, aiming to reduce leakages and ensure funds reach intended recipients without intermediaries. PM-KISAN sits alongside state-level agricultural support schemes and minimum support price procurement policies as part of a broader effort to stabilise farm incomes.

Stakeholders and Impact

The primary beneficiaries are landholding farmer families spread across all states and union territories, with the rural banking sector playing a critical operational role in processing DBT credits. The choice of Tarakeswar in Hooghly, West Bengal as the event venue underscores the Centre's focus on eastern India, a region that has hosted several previous PM-KISAN instalment release ceremonies.

Senior ministers including Gadkari have consistently amplified PM-KISAN disbursements on social media, reinforcing the scheme's visibility as a flagship agricultural welfare initiative of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government.

What's Next

Parliamentary discussions on the next agriculture budget allocation and any proposed revisions to PM-KISAN's eligibility criteria or instalment frequency are expected to shape the scheme's trajectory in the coming fiscal year. With 23 consecutive instalments now disbursed, the government is likely to highlight cumulative outflows and beneficiary coverage as evidence of the programme's reach ahead of any policy review.

The broader question of whether annual income support of ₹6,000 per family remains adequate given input-cost inflation is expected to continue drawing attention from farm advocacy groups and opposition parties alike.