Sri Vijaya Puram, Oct. 31: The release of ₹2.61 crore to 13,045 farmers in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands under the 24th instalment of the PM-KISAN Samman Nidhi has taken the scheme’s cumulative disbursement in the Union Territory to ₹67.06 crore. The latest transfer brings renewed focus on the scale of direct income support reaching the Islands’ farming community, with 18,105 farmers having received benefits since the scheme began.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi released more than ₹18,680 crore to over 9.34 crore eligible farmers nationwide through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) from Banaskantha in Gujarat on October 30. The occasion was marked as PM-KISAN Utsav Diwas, with beneficiaries across the country receiving the latest instalment directly in their bank accounts.
Lieutenant Governor Dinesh Sharma joined the national-level programme through video conferencing. A parallel programme at Lok Niwas in Sri Vijaya Puram marked the release of the Islands’ share, with the Agriculture Department facilitating the participation of beneficiaries and officials.
The programme was also streamed across 59 locations in the Islands, covering the Central Island Agricultural Research Institute (CIARI), Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs), districts, blocks and gram panchayats. A total of 1,535 farmers and officials participated in these programmes, extending the reach of the national event to different administrative and agricultural centres across the territory.
The cumulative figures indicate that 18,105 farmers in the Islands have received ₹67.06 crore under PM-KISAN since its inception. The latest instalment accounted for ₹2.61 crore of this total, distributed among 13,045 eligible beneficiaries.
Member of Parliament Bishnu Pada Ray attended the programme at Lok Niwas alongside the Commissioner-cum-Secretary (Agriculture), Secretary (Agriculture), Director of CIARI and scientists from KVKs. Representatives of panchayati raj institutions, beneficiary farmers and Agriculture Department officials also participated.
Pradhans from Mithakhari, Sippighat, Chouldhari and Tusnabad, along with other elected village representatives, Agriculture Officers and members of the farming community, were among those present.
The latest disbursement places the focus on the reach of direct financial assistance among eligible farmers across the Islands, while the cumulative allocation reflects the extent of benefits transferred under the scheme since its introduction.
