Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi released the 19th instalment of the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) scheme on 24th February 2025 in Bhagalpur, Bihar. During the event, over 9.8 crore farmers, including 2.41 crore female farmers, across the country will benefit from the 19th instalment release, receiving direct financial assistance exceeding ₹22,000 crore through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) without involvement of any middlemen, reinforcing the Government's commitment to farmer welfare and agricultural prosperity.

With this instalment, the scheme will continue to support farmers nationwide, further reaffirming the government's commitment to rural development and agricultural prosperity.

Previously, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi released the 18th instalment of the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) scheme on 5th October 2024 in Washim, Maharashtra. This significant event saw over 9.4 crore farmers across the country receiving direct financial benefits, amounting to more than ₹20,000 crore.

The PM-KISAN scheme is a central sector scheme launched in February 2019 by the Hon’ble Prime Minister to supplement the financial needs of land-holding farmers. Under the scheme, a financial benefit of Rs 6,000/- per year is transferred in three equal instalments, into the Aadhaar-seeded bank accounts of farmers through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) mode.

A farmer-centric digital infrastructure has ensured that the benefits of the scheme reach all the farmers across the country without the involvement of any middlemen. Maintaining absolute transparency in registering and verifying beneficiaries, the Government of India has disbursed over Rs 3.46 lakh crore in 18 instalments since inception, as of February 2025.

Supplement the financial needs of the SMFs in procuring various inputs to ensure proper crop health and appropriate yields, commensurate with the anticipated farm income at the end of each crop cycle.Protect them from falling into the clutches of moneylenders for meeting such expenses and ensure their continuance in farming activities.

With the objective of making the scheme more efficient, effective, and transparent, continuous improvements in a farmer-centric digital infrastructure have been made to ensure that the benefits of the scheme reach all the farmers across the country without any middleman involvement.

The PM-KISAN mobile app was launched on 24th February 2020. This has been developed with an emphasis on greater transparency and to reach more farmers. The PM-KISAN mobile app serves as a simple and efficient extension to the PM-KISAN web portal.

In 2023, the app was launched with an additional “Face Authentication Feature.” This enabled remote farmers to do e-KYC by scanning their face without OTP or fingerprint.

The portal and mobile app offer services like self-registration, benefit status tracking, and facial authentication-based e-KYC. Farmers in remote areas can complete e-KYC via face scans, with provisions to assist neighbors.

Over 5 lakh Common Service Centres (CSCs) have been onboarded to facilitate registrations and meet mandatory requirements. Additionally, a robust grievance redressal system was established on the portal, and an AI chatbot, Kisan-eMitra, launched in September 2023, provides instant query resolution in local languages regarding payments, registration, and eligibility. Farmers can also assist 100 other farmers in their neighborhood to complete e-KYC at their doorstep. In addition, the Government of India has also extended the facility for completing e-KYC of farmers to State Government officials, allowing each official to do e-KYC for 500 farmers.

In 2023, an AI Chatbot was launched for the PM-KISAN scheme, becoming the first AI chatbot integrated with a major flagship scheme of the Union government. The AI Chatbot provides farmers with prompt, clear, and accurate responses to their queries. It has been developed and improved with the support of EKstep foundation and Bhashini. The introduction of the AI chatbot in the PM-KISAN grievance management system is aimed at empowering farmers with a user-friendly and accessible platform.

The AI Chatbot, accessible through the PM KISAN mobile app, is integrated with Bhashini, which offers multilingual support, catering to the linguistic and regional diversity of the PM KISAN beneficiaries. ‘Digital India BHASHINI’ seeks to enable easy access to the internet and digital services in Indian languages, including voice-based access, and help the creation of content in Indian languages. 

This integration of advanced technology will not only enhance transparency but will also empower farmers to make informed decisions.

In the last five years, the PM-KISAN Scheme has evolved into a transformative initiative for the farming community, achieving significant milestones in financial inclusion and rural empowerment. Its vision of providing direct and timely assistance to millions of farmers has been implemented with remarkable efficiency.

The scheme’s seamless digital infrastructure, which enables direct transfers to beneficiaries' accounts, has set a benchmark for transparency and effective governance. As PM-KISAN continues to expand its reach, it stands as a testament to the government’s commitment to strengthening the agricultural sector and enhancing the livelihoods of India’s farmers.