Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ambitious Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) scheme has achieved yet another milestone, underscoring its commitment to bolstering the welfare of Indian farmers. With the recent addition of 90 lakh new beneficiaries during the Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra outreach campaign, the scheme has reached a significant milestone, benefitting more than 11 crore eligible farmer families with over Rs 3 lakh crores disbursed to date.
Launched on February 2nd, 2019, the PM-KISAN scheme aims to provide positive supplementary income support to farmer families across the country. Under the scheme, eligible farmer families receive a benefit of Rs. 6000 per year in three equal instalments of Rs. 2000 each, every four months, directly into their bank accounts through the Direct Benefit Transfer mode, leveraging modern digital technology.
The recent addition of 90 lakh new beneficiaries reflects the government’s commitment to ensuring the widespread coverage of welfare schemes. As part of the Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra, undertaken to saturate government welfare schemes across more than 2.60 lakh Gram Panchayats, these eligible farmers were integrated into the PM KISAN Scheme.
Over the past five years, PM-KISAN has achieved numerous milestones and garnered praise from various organizations, including the World Bank, for its vision, scale, and efficient fund transfer mechanism. A study by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) conducted on farmers in Uttar Pradesh highlights the scheme’s impact, indicating that the benefits reached the majority of farmers without any leakages. Additionally, farmers receiving cash transfers under PM-KISAN were more inclined to invest in agricultural equipment, seeds, fertilizer, and pesticides, thereby enhancing productivity.
To ensure transparency and efficiency, continuous improvements have been made in the digital infrastructure of the scheme. The PM-KISAN portal has been integrated with various platforms, including UIDAI, PFMS, NPCI, and the Income Tax department, facilitating seamless service delivery. Farmers can register grievances on the portal and utilize the 24×7 call facility for timely resolution. Moreover, the introduction of ‘Kisan e-Mitra,’ a voice-based AI Chatbot available in 10 languages, enables farmers to raise queries and receive real-time assistance.
PM-KISAN exemplifies cooperative federalism, with states responsible for registering and verifying farmer eligibility while the central government provides 100% funding. The inclusive nature of the scheme is evident in its beneficiaries, with at least one out of four being women farmers and over 85% being small and marginal farmers.