PM-KISAN 24th Instalment 2026: Date, Amount and Venue as PM Releases Funds from Gujarat

What happened

On 30 October 2026 Prime Minister Narendra Modi released the 24th instalment of the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) at a public event in Banaskantha, Gujarat. According to DD News, the instalment sent over Rs 18,000 crore to nearly 10 crore farmers across the country by direct transfer.

• Gujarat: More than 50 lakh farmers in the State received over Rs 1,000 crore.
• Banaskantha district: Nearly Rs 50 crore reached farm families in the district.

The figures differ by source. The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) note issued before the visit put the instalment at Rs 19,000 crore, while several news reports before and on the day carried Rs 18,680 crore for 9.34 crore farmer families without citing an official release. RankVyuh found no PIB release with the exact final figure at the time of writing, so treat the rounded numbers reported by DD News (over Rs 18,000 crore, nearly 10 crore farmers) as the safe exam facts.

The release was part of a two-day Gujarat visit (30-31 October). At Banaskantha the PM also launched projects worth over Rs 14,000 crore in agriculture, dairy, livestock, transport and facilities for women and children.

Background

• Launch: PM-KISAN was launched on 24 February 2019 (PIB).
• Type: A Central Sector Scheme, so the Union Government bears the full cost.
• Benefit: Rs 6,000 a year to eligible landholding farmer families, paid in three equal instalments of Rs 2,000 straight into bank accounts.
• Verification: Bank accounts are verified through PFMS and Aadhaar details are validated before payment; income tax payers are among those excluded (PIB). eKYC is mandatory for registered farmers (pmkisan.gov.in).
• Continuation: On 31 July 2026 the Union Cabinet approved continuing the scheme from 2026-27 to 2030-31 with an outlay of Rs 3.15 lakh crore.
• Budget: The Union Budget 2026-27 allocated Rs 60,000 crore to PM-KISAN (PIB, 20 June 2026).

Key details

Note on the 23rd instalment: The PIB release on the day gave over Rs 18,880 crore for over 9.44 crore farmers. The later Cabinet release of 31 July 2026 (PMO) gave slightly higher totals: over Rs 18,984 crore for more than 9.49 crore farmers. Neither release explains the gap, so cite the figure with its source.

Cumulative payouts: The Cabinet release of 31 July 2026 said more than Rs 4.47 lakh crore had been paid through 23 instalments, and that nearly one in four beneficiaries is a woman. At Banaskantha the PM said about Rs 4.5 lakh crore has gone directly to small farmers so far, and that small farmers form more than 85% of the farming community.

Other announcements at Banaskantha (DD News):

• Bharat Bovine Breeding and Research Centre at Bhildi (127 acres), focused on the Kankrej cattle breed.
• Foundation stones for two Banas Dairy Bio-CNG plants at Tharad (75 tonnes/day) and Radhanpur (100 tonnes/day) to process cattle dung.
• 12 horticulture clusters approved under the Cluster Development Programme, including two in North Gujarat for potato farmers.

Why it matters

• Assured cash support: A fixed transfer helps small farmers buy seeds, fertiliser and other inputs before the sowing season.
• DBT model: Money goes straight to bank accounts, reducing leakage and middlemen.
• Scale: With nearly 10 crore recipients per instalment, PM-KISAN reaches a very large share of India's farm families.
• Women farmers: Nearly a quarter of beneficiaries are women, which supports their financial inclusion.

Issues and criticism

The official sources do not list shortcomings. The points below are RankVyuh's analysis, drawn from the scheme's own rules.

• Landless farmers left out: The benefit goes to landholding farmer families, so tenant farmers and farm labourers are not covered.
• Fall in recipients: The 23rd instalment reached over 9.44 crore farmers (PIB), fewer than the more than 9.8 crore covered by the 19th (PIB). Stricter checks remove ineligible names, but genuine farmers can also drop out over eKYC or land-record gaps.
• Held-back payments: pmkisan.gov.in lists suspected exclusion cases, such as land acquired after 1 February 2019 and more than one member of a family drawing benefits; payments are withheld until physical verification.
• Real value: The Rs 6,000 benefit is fixed in rupee terms, so its real value falls as input costs rise.

Way forward

• Update and digitise land records so eligible farmers are not dropped.
• Hold eKYC and verification camps to clear pending cases quickly.
• Study ways to support tenant farmers and landless cultivators through other schemes.
• Publish instalment-wise, State-wise data promptly for transparency.

Prelims pointers

• 24th instalment of PM-KISAN released on 30 October 2026 from Banaskantha, Gujarat.
• Amount: over Rs 18,000 crore to nearly 10 crore farmers (DD News).
• PM-KISAN was launched on 24 February 2019; it is a Central Sector Scheme.
• Benefit: Rs 6,000 a year in three instalments of Rs 2,000 each.
• Continued for 2026-27 to 2030-31 with Rs 3.15 lakh crore (Cabinet, 31 July 2026).
• 23rd instalment: 20 June 2026 from Tarakeswar, Hooghly (West Bengal).
• eKYC is mandatory for registered PM-KISAN farmers.

One-liners for SSC, Banking and Railways

• The 24th PM-KISAN instalment was released from Banaskantha, Gujarat.
• PM-KISAN gives eligible farmer families Rs 6,000 per year.
• PM-KISAN was launched in February 2019.
• PM-KISAN payments are made through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT).
• The Bharat Bovine Breeding and Research Centre at Bhildi focuses on the Kankrej breed.

Test yourself in the weekly current affairs quiz.

Mains practice question

Q. "Direct income support such as PM-KISAN is necessary but not sufficient to address farm distress." Discuss. (150 words)

Points to cover:

1. Design: Rs 6,000 a year in three instalments by DBT; Central Sector Scheme since 2019; continued to 2030-31 with Rs 3.15 lakh crore.
2. Gains: roughly 9.4 to 10 crore recipients per instalment, lower leakage, support to women and small farmers.
3. Limits: landless and tenant farmers excluded, fixed amount, drop-outs over eKYC and land records.
4. Complements needed: land-record reform, crop insurance, market access, input support.