Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi

Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) is a central sector scheme launched by the Government of India in December 2018 to provide income support to farmers and their families. The scheme aims to supplement the financial needs of farmers and help them in procuring various inputs for ensuring proper crop health and appropriate yields, commensurate with the anticipated farm income.

Objectives

The primary objectives of PM-KISAN are:

• To provide income support to all landholding farmers and their families.
• To supplement the financial needs of farmers for procuring various inputs related to agriculture and allied activities.
• To protect farmers from the vagaries of nature and ensure their continuance in farming activities.

Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible for the PM-KISAN scheme, farmers must meet the following criteria:

• The farmer must be a landholding farmer, which includes both small and marginal farmers.
• The farmer’s family must comprise of husband, wife, and minor children.
• The scheme excludes institutional landholders, retired government employees, serving or retired officers and employees of state/central government, PSUs, and government autonomous bodies.

Benefits under the Scheme

Under the PM-KISAN scheme, eligible farmers receive the following benefits:

• Each eligible farmer receives Rs. 6,000 per year in three equal instalments of Rs. 2,000 each.
• The amount is transferred directly to the beneficiary’s bank account through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT).
• The scheme covers all land-holding eligible farmer families in the country, irrespective of the size of their landholdings.

As of March 2021, the scheme has benefited over 10 crore farmers, with a total expenditure of Rs. 1.15 lakh crore since its inception.

Implementation and Funding

PM-KISAN is a central sector scheme, which means that it is fully funded by the Government of India. The scheme is implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare in collaboration with the state governments.

The following steps are involved in the implementation of the scheme:

• Identification of eligible beneficiaries: The state governments identify the eligible beneficiaries based on the land records maintained by the revenue department.
• Uploading of beneficiary data: The state governments upload the beneficiary data on the PM-KISAN portal.
• Verification and approval of beneficiary data: The central government verifies and approves the beneficiary data uploaded by the state governments.
• Transfer of benefits: The central government transfers the benefits directly to the beneficiary’s bank account through DBT.

Impact and Challenges

PM-KISAN has had a significant impact on the lives of farmers and their families across the country. The scheme has provided much-needed income support to farmers, especially during times of crisis such as droughts, floods, and the COVID-19 pandemic. The scheme has also helped in improving the financial inclusion of farmers by encouraging them to open bank accounts and link them with Aadhaar.

However, the scheme has also faced some challenges, such as:

• Exclusion errors: Some eligible farmers have been excluded from the scheme due to errors in land records or other administrative issues.
• Inclusion errors: Some ineligible beneficiaries, such as wealthy farmers or non-farmers, have been included in the scheme due to the lack of proper verification mechanisms.
• Delays in transfer of benefits: There have been instances of delays in the transfer of benefits to the beneficiary’s bank account due to technical or administrative issues.

To address these challenges, the government has taken several measures, such as:

• Conducting periodic verification of beneficiary data to identify and rectify errors.
• Encouraging states to update and digitize their land records for better identification of eligible beneficiaries.
• Streamlining the DBT process to ensure timely transfer of benefits to the beneficiary’s bank account.

Way Forward

PM-KISAN is a significant step towards providing income support to farmers and improving their financial well-being. However, there is a need to further strengthen the scheme to ensure its effective implementation and maximize its impact. Some of the measures that can be taken in this regard include:

• Expanding the coverage of the scheme to include landless farmers and agricultural labourers.
• Increasing the amount of income support provided under the scheme to better meet the financial needs of farmers.
• Integrating PM-KISAN with other agricultural schemes and programmes for a more holistic approach to farmer welfare.
• Encouraging the adoption of sustainable agricultural practices and promoting crop diversification to enhance the long-term viability of farming.