RAS question
Approximately how many farmers received the 21st PM-KISAN installment?
Correct answer: (C) 9 crore.
Nearly 9 crore farmers received the 21st PM-KISAN instalment released on November 19, 2025.
Explanation
The 21st instalment of Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi was scheduled for release on November 19, 2025. The official PIB release states that nearly 9 crore farmers across India would receive approximately Rs. 18,000 crore in direct financial assistance through the Direct Benefit Transfer system. That makes 9 crore the closest and supported figure among the options. The same release frames the instalment as a DBT transfer, meaning the benefit goes directly to eligible farmers rather than through intermediaries. The other figures either understate or overstate the beneficiary count given in the official release.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) 5 crore is too low because the official release gives the beneficiary count as nearly 9 crore farmers.
- (B) 7 crore is still below the official figure, which states that nearly 9 crore farmers were covered by the 21st instalment.
- (D) 12 crore overstates the count; the PIB release supports nearly 9 crore farmers, not 12 crore.
Concept
This tests government schemes under Indian Economy, especially income support and Direct Benefit Transfer delivery. Such questions recur in RAS because instalment numbers, beneficiary coverage and fiscal outgo are standard current-affairs facts around flagship welfare schemes.