Summary of this article
PM releases 20th instalment; ₹2,000 sent to 97 million farmers.
Banks told to open Sunday for smooth PM-Kisan fund disbursal.
Unions object, citing overwork, no consultation, and legal concerns.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday released the 20th instalment of the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-Kisan) Yojana, transferring Rs 2,000 each to over 97 million eligible farmers across India. The disbursement, amounting to Rs 20,500 crore, was made through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) during an event in Varanasi.
Rs 3.69 Lakh Crore Disbursed Under PM-Kisan So Far
The PM-Kisan schedule, which was introduced in 2019, offers qualifying farmers with Rs 6,000 in three equal instalments each year. To receive the latest instalment, beneficiaries were required to complete their e-KYC verification. According to official data, farmers have received Rs 3.69 lakh crore across 19 instalments since the PM-Kisan scheme began in 2019. This initiative is aimed at supporting small and marginal farmers with timely income support for their agricultural and household needs.
Earlier, Modi released the 19th PM-KISAN instalment from Bhagalpur, Bihar, disbursing over Rs 22,000 crore to more than 98 million farmers across India on February 24, 2025.
Bank Employees’ Association Raises Concerns Over Sunday Work
To ensure smooth disbursement of the 20th PM-Kisan instalment, the Department of Financial Services has directed banks to remain open on Sunday, August 3, 2025.
However, this move has drawn criticism from the All India Bank Employees’ Association (AIBEA). IAIBEA General Secretary CH Venkatachalam, in a post on X (formerly Twitter) termed the directive as unfair and raised concern over staff welfare and lack of consultation.
In a letter to the Union Ministry of Finance, the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU) raised objections to the decision to open bank branches on August 3, 2025, for PM-Kisan fund distribution.
The forum pointed out that such transactions could raise questions about legal legitimacy and accountability if they are not accompanied by a Gazette notification or Reserve Bank of India (RBI) directives under the Negotiable Instruments Act.
It also pointed out that bank employees would be required to work for 12 consecutive days from July 28 to August 8 without a break, which it described as operationally challenging. The forum highlighted the absence of prior consultation despite advance knowledge of the PM-Kisan instalment release and raised demands for compensatory off or overtime, clarity on working norms and implementation of a five-day workweek.
While supporting government welfare initiatives, the UFBU stated that the current arrangement could strain resources and affect staff welfare.
