New Delhi, Oct 4: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to release the 18th installment of the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) scheme this Saturday during an event in Washim, Maharashtra.
According to the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry, and Dairying, this instalment, totaling over ₹20,000 crore, will benefit more than 9.4 crore farmers nationwide through Direct Benefit Transfer.
Initiated in February 2019, the PM-KISAN scheme offers landholding farmers an annual financial assistance of ₹6,000, distributed in three equal payments. After this release, the total funds disbursed under the scheme will surpass ₹3.45 lakh crore, benefiting over 11 crore farmers across the country. In Maharashtra, about 1.20 crore farmers have received ₹32,000 crore, with roughly 91.51 lakh farmers expected to receive more than ₹1,900 crore from this installment.
The event is being marked as PM-KISAN Utsav Divas, will be celebrated nationwide, with approximately 2.5 crore farmers participating via webcasts from 732 Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs), 100,000 Primary Agricultural Cooperative Societies, and 500,000 Common Service Centres.
Additionally, Prime Minister Modi will distribute an extra ₹2,000 crore to farmers in Maharashtra under the fifth installment of the Namo Shetkari Mahasanman Nidhi Yojana. He will also dedicate multiple projects under the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF), showcasing achievements made in the first 100 days of the new government. The AIF, launched in 2020, focuses on enhancing post-harvest management and community farming infrastructure, with over 10,066 projects sanctioned and more than 7,500 completed so far.
The event will also highlight the support for Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) across India. PM Modi will dedicate around 9,200 FPOs established under a Central Sector Scheme, with the aim of creating 10,000 FPOs nationwide. These FPOs currently assist 24 lakh farmers, including 8.3 lakh women and 5.77 lakh SC and ST beneficiaries, generating a combined annual turnover of ₹1,300 crore. The initiative seeks to enhance the livelihoods of small, marginal, and landless farmers by improving market access and strengthening value chains.
Moreover, the Prime Minister will announce new initiatives to support the dairy farming sector and will oversee the e-Distribution of Letters of Award for 3,000 MW under the KUSUM-C (MSKVY 2.0) scheme, which promotes solar energy in agriculture. This initiative includes the inauguration of five solar parks with a total capacity of 19 MW in Dhondalgaon, Bamni Bk., Kondgiri, Jalalabad, and Palshi Bk. These parks are expected to provide farmers with daytime electricity and additional income opportunities by leasing land for solar projects, thereby enhancing energy access and financial security for the agricultural community.
