More than 9.44 crore eligible farmers across India received a direct benefit transfer of over ₹18,880 crore under the latest instalment of the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-Kisan) scheme, disbursed from Hooghly district in West Bengal on 20 June. The release drew immediate acknowledgement from Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Kisan Morcha National President and Member of Parliament Rajkumar Chahar, who credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi with sustaining direct financial support to the farming community.

What the PM-Kisan Scheme Provides

Under PM-Kisan, eligible farmer families receive ₹6,000 annually, disbursed in three equal instalments of ₹2,000 each, directly into their bank accounts. The scheme is designed to provide a predictable income supplement to small and marginal farmers, bypassing intermediaries through direct benefit transfer.

Key Government Claims on Agriculture

Chahar cited a series of figures to underline what he described as the Modi government's decade-long commitment to the agriculture sector. He stated that the agriculture budget has risen from approximately ₹27,000 crore during the previous United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government to nearly ₹1.25 lakh crore — a near five-fold increase, according to his statement.

He also pointed to the distribution of Soil Health Cards to more than 22 crore farmers, which he said has enabled cultivators to make more informed decisions on crop nutrition and fertiliser use. The expansion of the Kisan Credit Card network and the establishment of more than 8,000 Farmer-Producer Organisations (FPOs) were highlighted as additional pillars of the government's agricultural reform agenda.

Fertiliser and Input Cost Initiatives

Chahar credited initiatives such as Nano Urea and Neem-Coated Urea with reducing farmers' dependence on conventional fertilisers and lowering overall input costs. He argued that these measures, combined with improved market access through FPOs, have strengthened the collective bargaining power of farming households.

Political Dimension

Taking aim at the opposition, Chahar alleged that while the government has consistently implemented farmer welfare measures over the past 12 years, opposition parties have sought to mislead the farming community for political gain. He asserted that the benefits of these programmes are now reaching millions of families through direct transfers and targeted agricultural schemes. Opposition parties have not publicly responded to these specific remarks, according to available reports.

What Comes Next

With the latest instalment now credited, attention will turn to the pace of FPO formation, the uptake of Nano Urea, and whether the agriculture budget allocation translates into measurable gains in farm income — metrics that independent analysts and opposition parties are likely to scrutinise ahead of upcoming state elections.