Prime Minister Narendra Modi will release the 23rd installment of the PM-Kisan scheme during his visit to West Bengal on June 20 and will directly transfer Rs 18,880 crore into the bank accounts of over 9.44 crore farmers across the country.Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Wednesday said the distribution will take place in Tarakeswar in Hooghly district and will take the total amount transferred under the flagship income-support scheme to more than Rs 4.46 lakh crore since its launch in 2019, PTI reported.In West Bengal, over 45.35 lakh farmers will get around Rs 907 crore under the latest instalment. With this transfer, the cumulative payments under PM-Kisan in the state will cross Rs 15,055 crore.Chouhan said the funds would be deposited through the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) mechanism, “strengthening the income security of small and marginal farmers”.The Prime Minister will also launch the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) and Restructured Weather-Based Crop Insurance Scheme (RWBCIS) in West Bengal with a combined outlay of about Rs 12,200 crore.The government aims to provide crop insurance coverage to about 1.10 crore farmers on 30 lakh hectares during 2026-27, covering crops worth about Rs 28,140 crore.As part of the Digital Agriculture Mission, Modi will launch an agri-tech platform offering a unified interface for fertilizer distribution, Kisan Credit Card services, DBT benefits and MSP-based government procurement.He will also launch the National Natural Farming Mission in the state. Under the programme, 346 natural farming clusters covering 17,300 hectares will be established in West Bengal during 2026-27. The initiative is expected to benefit 43,250 farmers through bio-based inputs, training and market linkages supported by bio-resource centers and ‘Krishi Sakhis’.The Prime Minister will launch the Pradhan Mantri Dhan-Dhanya Krishi Yojana in Purulia, Darjeeling, Alipurduar and Jhargram districts, which aims to boost agricultural productivity, promote crop diversification and strengthen post-harvest infrastructure such as storage and processing facilities.During the visit, Modi will inaugurate 49 rural road projects worth over Rs 213 crore under PMGSY-III. These projects, covering a distance of over 315 km, are expected to improve market access for farmers and increase connectivity to schools and health facilities in remote areas.More than one crore farmers from across the country are expected to participate virtually in this program. West Bengal Governor RN Ravi, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari and Union ministers Rajiv Ranjan Singh, Ashwini Vaishnav, Shantanu Thakur and Sukant Majumdar will also attend the event.
