BJP leader Smriti Irani on Saturday, 20 June 2026 praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for disbursing the 23rd instalment of the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) scheme, under which ₹18,880 crore was transferred directly into the bank accounts of 9.44 crore farmer beneficiaries via the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) mechanism.

Context

Irani shared the announcement on X, writing in Hindi: 'माननीय प्रधानमंत्री श्री नरेन्द्र मोदी जी ने आज प्रधानमंत्री किसान सम्मान निधि योजना के अंतर्गत 9.44 करोड़ किसान भाइयों एवं बहनों के खातों में 23वीं किश्त के रूप में, DBT के माध्यम से ₹18,880 करोड़ की राशि हस्तांतरित की।' ['Honourable Prime Minister Narendra Modi today transferred ₹18,880 crore as the 23rd instalment under the PM-KISAN scheme into the accounts of 9.44 crore farmer brothers and sisters via DBT.'] She extended her 'heartfelt congratulations and best wishes' to all beneficiary farmers.

The post also described the #PMKisan scheme as 'proof of our government's unwavering commitment to providing economic support, dignity, and security to the nation's food providers (annadata).'

Policy Backdrop

PM-KISAN was announced in the 2019 Interim Budget and formally launched on 24 February 2019. The scheme provides eligible landholding farmer families with ₹6,000 per year in three equal instalments of ₹2,000 each, credited directly to beneficiary bank accounts through the DBT framework.

The scheme is a central sector initiative, meaning it is fully funded by the Government of India and implemented uniformly across all states and union territories. It forms a key pillar of the broader policy shift toward direct cash transfers to rural households — a strategy successive central governments have pursued since 2014 to improve targeting and reduce leakages in welfare delivery.

Stakeholders and Impact

The primary beneficiaries are small and marginal farmers — those with landholdings of up to two hectares — though the scheme has since been extended to cover all eligible farmer families regardless of landholding size. The ₹18,880 crore disbursed in this instalment represents one of the largest single-day agricultural welfare transfers under the scheme.

The DBT mechanism ensures funds reach beneficiaries without intermediaries, reducing the risk of diversion. State governments maintain and update beneficiary databases, and periodic cleansing of ineligible entries has been a recurring administrative exercise since the scheme's launch.

What's Next

Attention will now turn to the 24th instalment and any changes to the scheme's structure or beneficiary eligibility criteria that may be announced in the next Union Budget. Ongoing updates to state-level beneficiary databases and integration with land records are expected to continue refining the scheme's reach.

Irani's public endorsement of the disbursement underscores the BJP's continued emphasis on farmer welfare as a political and policy priority ahead of upcoming electoral cycles, with the PM-KISAN programme remaining a flagship vehicle for direct rural outreach.