23rd Instalment of PM-KISAN: Over Rs 18,880 crore released to 9.44 crore farmers

📌 Summary:

• The Prime Minister released over Rs 18,880 crore as the 23rd instalment of PM-KISAN on 20 June 2026 at Tarakeswar, Hooghly, West Bengal; the day was marked as "PM KISAN Utsav Diwas"
• Over 9.44 crore farmers benefited, including 2.18 crore women farmers; more than 1 crore attended virtually
• Over Rs 4.46 lakh crore disbursed since the scheme's 2019 launch across 23 instalments, making it one of the world's largest DBT initiatives
• PM-KISAN is a centrally sponsored scheme (launched 24 Feb 2019) giving Rs 6,000/year in three Rs 2,000 instalments via DBT into Aadhaar-seeded accounts; requires land-record seeding, Aadhaar linkage and e-KYC
• Union Budget 2026-27 allocated Rs 60,000 crore for PM-KISAN
• Parallel agriculture initiatives launched in West Bengal: PMFBY and RWBCIS crop insurance (target 1.10 crore farmers, 30 lakh ha, insured value Rs 28,140 crore); AgriStack under Digital Agriculture Mission; National Mission on Natural Farming (346 clusters, 17,300 ha, 43,250 farmers); and PM Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana in four districts

🎯 UPSC Relevance: GS3 — Agriculture, income support, Direct Benefit Transfer and farmer welfare; inclusive growth and rural distress mitigation.

📝 Prelims Facts:

• PM-KISAN gives Rs 6,000/year in three equal instalments of Rs 2,000 via DBT
• Launched 24 February 2019; Rs 60,000 crore allocated in Budget 2026-27
• AgriStack is part of the Digital Agriculture Mission

🔑 Key Term: AgriStack — a farmer-centric digital public infrastructure enabling seamless access to credit, insurance, DBT and procurement services.