Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will grace the occasion of celebrating the ‘Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas’ and releasing the 15^th instalment of the PM-KISAN scheme at Birsa College, Khunti, Jharkhand on 15^th November 2023. The Janjatiya Gaurav Divas is celebrated every year to recognize the efforts of the tribals in the preservation of cultural heritage and promotion of Indian values of national pride, valour, and hospitality. The event will be broadcasted by Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs), ICAR Institutes, State Agricultural Universities, PM Kisan Samriddhi Kendras, Primary Agricultural Cooperative Societies, and Common Service Centers (CSCs)  across the country.

In the 15^th instalment, over 8.0 Cr. farmers will receive an amount of more than Rs. 18,000 Cr. released by the Prime Minister by click of a button on 15.11.2023. The total amount transferred to the beneficiaries since the inception of the scheme is expected to cross well over Rs 2.80 lakh crore. This financial assistance will support farmers in meeting their agricultural and other incidental needs.

The Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) is one of the world’s largest Direct Benefit Transfer schemes. A flagship scheme of the Government of India, it exemplifies the continued commitment of the Government of India to initiate policy actions for an inclusive and productive agricultural sector. It is a central sector scheme launched on 24th February 2019 to supplement the financial needs of all land-holding farmers subject to certain exclusion criteria of higher income status. Financial benefit of Rs 6,000/- per year in three equal instalments, every four months, is transferred into the bank accounts of farmers’ families across the country through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) mode. As of now, benefits amounting to more than Rs 2.61 lakh crores have been provided to more than 11 crore farmers across the nation.

For the release of the 15^th instalment, eKYC and seeding of Aadhaar with active bank accounts are mandatory to ensure that the benefit is released to the genuine beneficiaries directly into their Aadhaar linked bank accounts without any involvement of middlemen. To facilitate the farmers in doing the eKYC in PM KISAN, the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare has developed a mobile application with the feature of facial authentication-based e-KYC which can be used by the farmers to complete their own eKYC and can also assist 100 other farmers in their neighbourhood to complete e-KYC from the comfort of their homes. This app is first mobile app which use facial authentication feature in any benefit transfer scheme of the Government of India. This Mobile App is very easy to use and is easily available for download on Google Play store.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare has also launched a PM-KISAN AI Chatbot (Kisan e-Mitra), which will provide the farmers with a one-stop solution for their grievances related to the PM-KISAN scheme. Integrated with Bhashini, the chatbot offers support in local languages such as Hindi, Tamil, Odia, Bengali and English through voice and text assistance. These technological solutions aim to address general queries and grievances raised by the beneficiaries promptly and effectively. The Chatbot is enabling farmers in obtaining answers to all their scheme-related questions, providing them with accurate and timely information.

The release of the 15^th instalment of the PM-KISAN scheme underlines the Government of India's commitment to promoting agriculture, empowering farmers, and ensuring the sustainable development of the agricultural sector. The Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare is committed to the welfare and empowerment of farmers and the development of sustainable agricultural practices in India. The ministry is undertaking various programs and initiatives to improve agricultural productivity, enhance farmer incomes, and ensure food security for the nation.

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