Over 9.34 crore farmers woke up to a direct credit on Friday, 30 October 2026 — more than ₹18,690 crore hitting bank accounts in a single stroke as Prime Minister Narendra Modi released the 24th instalment of PM-Kisan Samman Nidhi from Banaskantha, Gujarat, wrapping the transfer inside a sweeping multi-project dedication ceremony.

₹18,690 crore wired directly to 9.34 crore farmers

The Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-Kisan) scheme, launched in February 2019, provides ₹6,000 per year in three equal instalments to landholding farmer families across India via Direct Benefit Transfer. Each release bypasses intermediaries entirely — the money moves straight from the Union government's treasury to individual Jan Dhan-linked accounts. The 24th instalment, amounting to ₹18,690 crore-plus, is the single largest recurring direct cash transfer of the scheme's current cycle.

The Chief Minister's Office of Rajasthan confirmed in its post that Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma joined the Banaskantha event via video-conferencing from Chief Minister's Residence, Jaipur — a now-standard protocol that allows state governments to publicly associate with Union welfare deliveries without requiring travel.

Ahmedabad–Varanasi Express among two new rail links flagged off

The Banaskantha ceremony was not limited to farm welfare. Prime Minister Modi also performed lokarpan, shilanyas aur shubharambh (inaugurations, foundation-stone layings, and launches) of multiple projects, capping the event by flagging off two new train services. The most symbolically freighted of these was the Ahmedabad (Sabarmati)–Varanasi Express — a route stitching together Gujarat, the Prime Minister's home state, and Varanasi, his Lok Sabha constituency. Combining farmer-income transfers with rail inaugurations in one programme is a recurring format for the current Union government, designed to maximise political visibility while compressing event logistics.

Rajasthan's stake in PM-Kisan and the virtual-participation playbook

Rajasthan is one of the largest beneficiary states under PM-Kisan, with millions of small and marginal farmers enrolled across its arid and semi-arid districts. Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma's virtual presence signals the Bharatiya Janata Party-governed state's alignment with the Centre on welfare delivery — a choreography that has become routine since the scheme's inception. The hashtag #आपणो_अग्रणी_राजस्थान ('Our Pioneering Rajasthan') used in the post underscores the state government's effort to co-brand Union welfare with its own governance narrative.

With the 24th instalment now disbursed, the next policy calendar item will be the 25th instalment timeline and the commissioning status of additional rail and infrastructure projects announced at the same Banaskantha event.