PM Modi to Release ₹20,000 Crore PM-KISAN 22nd Instalment Benefiting 9.3 Crore Farmers Tomorrow

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will release the 22nd instalment of Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) tomorrow, March 13, transferring over ₹20,000 crore directly into bank accounts of approximately 9.3 crore beneficiary farmers. This milestone payment marks ₹3.46 lakh crore disbursed since the scheme’s inception in 2019, providing vital income support amid input cost inflation and climatic uncertainties.
Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan highlighted the scheme’s transformative impact. Small/marginal farmers (96% beneficiaries) receive ₹6,000 annual aid in three equal instalments, enabling the purchase of seeds, fertilisers, and equipment. Digital Aadhaar-eKYC integration ensures leak-proof delivery, eliminating ghost beneficiaries and achieving 99.9% DBT success rate.
PM-KISAN complements the broader farmer empowerment ecosystem: PMFBY insures 5.7 crore farmers covering 200+ crops; KCC delivers ₹20 lakh crore credit; and 4.1 crore FPOs strengthen market linkages. Tomorrow’s event coincides with Holi festivities, symbolising prosperity for rural households.
The scheme excludes higher-income groups (income >₹10 lakh, pensioners, professionals), focusing aid on landholding cultivators up to 2 hectares. Over 2.84 crore new farmers were added in the last year through streamlined registration.
Chouhan emphasised PM-KISAN’s role in doubling the farmer incomes target, average monthly transfer of ₹167/farmer equals 15% annual income supplement for the bottom quintile. Digital dashboards enable real-time monitoring, grievance redressal via 13,000+ CSCs.
This instalment underscores the government’s unwavering commitment to farmers amid record agri GVA growth to ₹48.77 lakh crore FY24 and foodgrain production at 335 MT.