Prime Minister Narendra Modi will release over Rs 18,880 crore directly into the accounts of more than 9.44 lakh farmers across the country as the 23rd instalment of the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) scheme on Saturday, at a function to be held at Tarakeswar in West Bengal’s Hooghly district, according to an official statement issued on Thursday. 

There are over 2.18 crore women farmers among the beneficiaries of the 23rd instalment of the PM-KISAN scheme. With the release of the fresh instalment, the total disbursement under the scheme will exceed Rs 4.46 lakh crore, since its inception on February 24, 2019, the statement said.