The 20th installment of the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-Kisan) scheme will be released on August 2, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi set to lead the event in Varanasi. Union Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan chaired a high-level meeting on Wednesday to review the preparations.
The nationwide event aims to ensure that the ₹2,000 installment under the scheme reaches over 9.7 crore eligible farmers, with a total of ₹20,500 crore to be disbursed. Since its launch in 2019, PM-Kisan has transferred ₹3.69 lakh crore to farmers across 19 installments.
In his video message to farmers, the Minister said, “Dear farmer brothers and sisters, greetings to you all. The Kharif crop season is expected to be good. Meanwhile, there is more good news — Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will transfer the PM-Kisan Samman Nidhi amount directly into your accounts on August 2 at exactly 11 am. He will also address you on this occasion.”
“Therefore, I sincerely request all of you to join one of the programmes being held at 11 am on August 2. These programmes will take place in your villages, at Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs), at ICAR institutes, in agricultural universities, at market yards, and at PACS headquarters. Please find out where the nearest programme is being held and make sure to attend. Listen to the Prime Minister’s address. I will certainly be attending — I urge you to do the same. Thank you,” he added.
Chouhan emphasized the importance of celebrating the release of the installment as both a mission and a festival. He called on Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs), agricultural universities, and grassroots workers—including Krishi Sakhis, Drone Didis, and Gram Panchayat Sarpanches—to maximize outreach and farmer participation.
Senior officials, including Agriculture Secretary Devesh Chaturvedi and ICAR Director General Dr. M.L. Jat, participated in the meeting. The minister also highlighted the opportunity to engage farmers on Kharif crop-related issues during the event.
PM-KISAN scheme was launched on February 2, 2019 under which every eligible farming family receives an annual benefit of ₹6,000, distributed in three equal installments of ₹2,000 every four months. This amount is directly transferred to the beneficiaries’ bank accounts through the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) mechanism, making it one of the largest and transparent DBT schemes globally.