New Delhi, Nov 19 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi will release the 21st instalment of the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) scheme on Wednesday from Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu.

During the national event, the Prime Minister will virtually address farmers across the country and interact with beneficiaries of the flagship income-support scheme.

In line with the national launch, a state-level programme will be held in Gandhinagar under the chairmanship of Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, with Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi, Agriculture Minister Jitu Vaghani and Minister of State for Agriculture Ramesh Katara in attendance.

As part of the ceremony, the Chief Minister will distribute assistance and approval letters to beneficiaries of PM-KISAN as well as various agriculture and horticulture schemes.

Sharing details, Agriculture Minister Jitu Vaghani said that more than 9 crore farmers nationwide will receive assistance of over Rs 18,000 crore under the 21st instalment.

Of this, more than 49.31 lakh farmer families in Gujarat will get over Rs 986 crore directly credited to their bank accounts.

In addition to the state event, all ICAR institutes, central agricultural universities, state agricultural universities and Krishi Vigyan Kendras will also host local programmes and live-stream the Prime Minister’s address.

A large number of farmers, officials and public representatives are expected to participate across these centres.

Since its launch, the PM-KISAN scheme has provided income support to over 11 crore farmer families across India, disbursing more than Rs 3,91,000 crore through 20 instalments.

Gujarat’s farmers have also benefited significantly, receiving over Rs 21,000 crore through earlier instalments.

The Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) is a nationwide income-support scheme launched by the government of India to provide financial assistance to small and marginal farmers.

The initiative aims to ensure a steady income for farmers to meet agricultural and household needs, reduce their financial stress, and support them ahead of key farming seasons.

Since its launch in 2019, PM-KISAN has become one of the largest direct benefit transfer programmes in the world, benefiting crores of farmer families across India and strengthening rural livelihoods.

–IANS

rs/