At exactly 4:26 PM UTC on Wednesday, November 19, 2025, Narendra Modi—India’s Prime Minister—announced the release of the 21st installment of the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, moments after inaugurating the South India Natural Farming Summit 2025. The Rs 18,000 crore disbursement reached the bank accounts of nearly 9 crore (90 million) eligible farming families across India, marking another milestone in the world’s largest direct cash transfer program for farmers. This isn’t just money moving between accounts—it’s lifelines reaching villages where crop prices have dipped, input costs have surged, and monsoons still hold the final say.
How the Scheme Works—and Why It Matters
Launched on February 24, 2019, the PM-KISAN scheme delivers Rs 6,000 annually per eligible landholding farmer family, split into three equal quarterly installments of Rs 2,000 each. The latest payment follows the same pattern: the Government of India funds the entire scheme as a Central Sector Initiative, with transfers routed through the Public Financial Management System (PFMS), a secure platform managed by the Ministry of Finance. No middlemen. No delays. Just direct bank credits. That’s the promise—and so far, it’s held up.
By the time this 21st tranche landed, over Rs 3.70 lakh crore had been distributed to more than 11 crore farmer families since inception. The scale is staggering. Imagine every household in Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal receiving Rs 2,000 in their pocket every four months. For many, that’s seed money for the next crop, fuel for the tractor, or medicine for a sick child. The scheme doesn’t replace policy—it supplements it. And in a country where 58% of rural households still depend on agriculture, that supplement is vital.
Who Qualifies—and How They Know They’ve Been Paid
Eligibility isn’t automatic. Farmers must have their land records verified and seeded on the PM-KISAN portal. Their bank accounts must be linked to Aadhaar, and they must complete eKYC. There are three ways to do it: OTP via the portal, biometric verification at a Common Service Centre (CSC), or face authentication using a smartphone. Many rural beneficiaries, especially older farmers, rely on CSCs—local digital hubs often run by youth entrepreneurs. These centers have quietly become the unsung backbone of the scheme’s reach.
To check if the money arrived, farmers simply visit pmkisan.gov.in, click ‘Beneficiary Status’ under ‘Farmers Corner’, enter their reference number and captcha, then hit ‘Get Data’. The screen shows everything: name, father’s/husband’s name, district, village, Aadhaar status, and—crucially—the payment history. If the 21st installment appears with a ‘Credited’ status, the money’s there. If not, the portal flags the reason: incomplete eKYC, mismatched bank details, or land records pending verification.
What Changed From the 20th Installment?
The 20th installment, released on August 2, 2025, from Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, transferred Rs 20,500 crore to 9.7 crore families. This time, the amount dropped to Rs 18,000 crore—and the number of beneficiaries fell to 9 crore. Why? Because the portal’s data cleaning process, ongoing since mid-2025, removed duplicate entries, non-farming households, and records linked to deceased beneficiaries. It’s not a cut—it’s a correction. The government now claims over 99% accuracy in beneficiary data, down from 92% in 2023. That’s progress.
Still, critics point out that small and marginal farmers—those owning less than 2 hectares—still make up 86% of beneficiaries, yet receive no additional support beyond the flat Rs 6,000. And while the PFMS ensures transparency, it doesn’t solve the deeper issue: rising input costs. Fertilizer prices, diesel, and labor wages have climbed over 18% since 2023. Rs 2,000 every four months buys less than it did two years ago.
The Bigger Picture: Natural Farming and the Future
The timing of this release—right after the South India Natural Farming Summit 2025—was no accident. The government is pushing a dual agenda: cash support today, and sustainable farming tomorrow. Natural farming, which avoids chemical inputs and relies on cow dung, compost, and crop rotation, is being scaled across Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka. The PM-KISAN funds, officials say, can now be used to buy bio-inputs instead of synthetic fertilizers. In some districts, farmers are already using the cash to transition to zero-budget natural farming (ZBNF). One farmer from Coimbatore told reporters: “Last month, I used my Rs 2,000 to buy jeevamrutha ingredients. My soil’s alive again. I don’t need loans anymore.”
The next installment is expected around March 2026, following the usual four-month cycle. But with general elections looming in 2026, pressure will mount to raise the amount or expand coverage. The Finance Ministry has signaled it’s studying a pilot for income support to tenant farmers—currently excluded under landholding rules. That could be the next big shift.
What’s Next?
The PM-KISAN portal is now being integrated with state-level agriculture databases to auto-verify land ownership, cutting down manual entry errors. A mobile app version, set to launch in early 2026, will allow farmers to upload field photos and crop reports to unlock additional subsidies. Meanwhile, the PFMS is testing blockchain-based audit trails to prevent any future leakage—though officials stress the system has had zero verified fraud cases to date.
What’s clear is this: PM-KISAN isn’t just welfare. It’s a digital social contract between the state and its farmers. And for 9 crore families, it’s the difference between survival and stagnation.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can a farmer check if the 21st PM-KISAN installment has been credited?
Farmers must visit pmkisan.gov.in, go to ‘Beneficiary Status’ under ‘Farmers Corner’, enter their 12-digit beneficiary reference number and the displayed captcha, then click ‘Get Data’. The system displays the payment history, including the status of the 21st installment—whether credited, pending, or rejected—with reasons if applicable. Payments typically reflect in bank accounts within 48 hours of portal confirmation.
Why did the 21st installment amount to Rs 18,000 crore, less than the Rs 20,500 crore in the 20th?
The reduction reflects improved data accuracy. Between August and November 2025, over 70 lakh ineligible records—duplicate entries, non-farming households, and deceased beneficiaries—were purged from the PM-KISAN database. The government now claims over 99% data integrity. The per-farmer payout remains Rs 2,000; fewer beneficiaries mean lower total outlay, not lower individual support.
Who is excluded from PM-KISAN, and why?
Tenant farmers, landless laborers, and those without Aadhaar-linked bank accounts or verified land records are excluded. The scheme is designed for landholding families, based on state land revenue records. Critics argue this leaves out 30 million informal agricultural workers. A pilot to include tenant farmers is under study, but no policy change has been approved yet.
How is eKYC completed for farmers without smartphones?
Farmers can complete eKYC at any Common Service Centre (CSC), which are present in over 90% of Indian villages. Staff at CSCs use biometric devices to verify identity via Aadhaar. Over 1.2 million CSCs serve as digital access points, making eKYC accessible even to elderly or digitally inexperienced farmers without smartphones.
What happens if a farmer’s payment is rejected?
Rejection reasons include mismatched bank details, unverified land records, or incomplete eKYC. Farmers can rectify issues through the PM-KISAN portal or by visiting their local CSC. The portal sends SMS alerts with rejection codes. Corrections must be submitted within 30 days to be eligible for the next installment. Delays beyond that may require reapplication.
Is the Rs 6,000 annual amount likely to increase?
No official increase has been announced. However, with inflation pushing input costs up by 18% since 2023, pressure is mounting. The Finance Ministry is reviewing the scheme’s economics ahead of the 2026 elections. A pilot to index the amount to the Consumer Price Index for Agricultural Labourers (CPI-AL) is under discussion, but no decision has been made yet.