21-Nov-2022: PM KISAN, a game changer DBT Scheme

PM KISAN Scheme is a Central Sector Scheme to supplement financial needs of land holding farmers.  Financial benefit of Rs. 6000 per year is transferred into the bank accounts of farmer families through direct benefit transfer.  Certain categories of higher economic status are excluded from the scheme.

This ambitious scheme, which was launched on 24th February, 2019 by Hon’ble Prime Minister, is one of the largest DBT Schemes in the world.  The scheme has been able to reach out to crores of farmers, with no middlemen involved in between. Maintaining absolute transparency in the process of registration and verification of beneficiaries, Government of India has been able to transfer benefits within minutes of press of a button by Hon’ble Prime Minister during the bulk release events.

The release of benefits for any installment period under PM KISAN has now crossed 10 crore farmers from 3.16 crore for the first instalment period – more than 3 times increase in over 3 years.

PM KISAN through a span of over 3 years has successfully provided assistance of more than Rs. 2 lakh crores to crores of needy farmers.  Of this amount, more than Rs 1.6 crores has been transferred since the lockdown due to Covid Pandemic.

PM KISAN is an evolving scheme. The scheme was initiated with eligibility of the farmers determined on self-certification by each farmer.  Improvements have been made overtime in the way farmers are registered and verified by the States.

The success of this scheme lies in the improvements introduced over time for verification and validation of the farmer details.  Mandatory fields have been put in place since inception for the first level check.  Once the data of eligible farmers is checked and verified by the States, it is updated on the PM KISAN portal and the same is sent to PFMS for validation of financial details; to UIDAI server for authentication of Aadhar; to income tax server to check income tax payee status; and to NPCI to verify Aadhaar seeding of the bank accounts.  This has enabled the Government in continuous validation and verification of the existing and new beneficiaries.

PM KISAN is a major shift in the nature of government support to farmers in India and is one of the finest examples of good governance and use of digital public goods to reach out directly to the citizens. Taking advantage of extensive use of digital technologies in implementation of PM KISAN, the Government has also initiated steps for building a digital ecosystem for agriculture or Agri stack. This will be another digital public good in the agriculture sector, using PM KISAN data as the basis of a federated farmers database to be maintained by the States.

The building of the Agri stack also provides opportunity to Government in saturating PM KISAN scheme with all eligible farmers and to re-verify all the existing beneficiaries, as per the operational guidelines of the scheme.  The land details of the existing beneficiaries are thus being seeded, as per the land records of the States, so that in future dynamic linkage with the digital land records of the States is ensured smoothly.  E-KYC of the farmers and payments using Aadhar Payment Bridge (APB) have also been initiated by the Ministry of Agriculture to bring in further transparency in the scheme. This exercise will also help in weeding out farmers who may have passed away in between and have sold away their land, and may have meanwhile entered into exclusion criterion prescribed under the scheme.

There are many studies and findings, which indicate that the PM KISAN scheme has helped farmers towards productive investment in agriculture activities. This, in turn, through a multiplier effect, has contributed in overall improvement of the agricultural sector.

For instance, in an empirical study conducted in association with ICAR, the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), found that the scheme has enabled greatly in addressing the liquidity constraints of farmers for buying agricultural inputs. Further, for the small and marginal farmers, it has not only helped them to meet their requirement of funds for farm inputs, but also for their daily consumption, education, health and other incidental expenses.

Truly, PM KISAN has been a game changer in reaching out directly to the farmers in the country, every four months, and in time of their need.

15-Oct-2022: Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will inaugurate 2-day PM Kisan Samman Sammelan-2022 on 17th October in New Delhi

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will inaugurate a two-day event titled “PM Kisan Samman Sammelan 2022” on 17th October 2022 at Mela Ground, IARI, Pusa, New Delhi. On this occasion, Shri Modi will release Rs. 16,000 Crores under the PM-KISAN flagship scheme as 12th instalment through Direct Benefit Transfer. Prime Minister will also inaugurate the Agri Start-up Conclave and Exhibition. He will also inaugurate 600 PM Kisan Samriddhi Kendras (PM-KSK) of Union Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilizers and will launch Bharat Urea Bags, India’s biggest move in fertilizers-One Nation One Fertilizer Scheme for Farmers.

Addressing a press conference today, Union Minister of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Shri Narendra Singh Tomar informed that through “PM Kisan Samman Sammelan 2022” Organized by his Ministry and Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers, Shri Modi will address crores of farmers, Agri Start-ups, Researchers, Policymakers, Bankers and other stakeholders. The event will bring farmers and Agri Start-ups on same platform. More than one crore farmers will virtually join this event. 732 Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs), 75 ICAR Institutes, 75 State Agricultural Universities, 600 PM Kisan Centres, 50,000 Primary Agricultural Cooperative Societies, and 2 Lakh Community Service Centers (CSCs) will also attend the event virtually. Union Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilizers, Shri. Bhagwant Khuba and Ministers of State for Agriculture & Farmers Welfare Shri Kailash Choudhary and Ms. Shobha Karandlaje will join the inaugural function.

Details of the event are as follows: Release of 12th Instalment of Rs. 16,000 Crores to beneficiary farmers under PM-KISAN

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will release the 12th instalment amount of Rs. 16,000 Crores to farmers under the PM-KISAN flagship scheme of the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers' Welfare. Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN), a flagship scheme of Government of India, is an outcome of the continued commitment of Prime Minister of India, Sri Narendra Modi to initiate policy actions and implement public programs for an inclusive and productive agricultural sector. The scheme was launched by Prime Minister, on 24.02.2019. Under the scheme, eligible farmer families are provided a benefit of Rs. 6000/- per year in three equal instalments of Rs. 2000/- each, every four months. The benefit is transferred directly to the bank accounts of eligible beneficiaries through Direct Benefit Transfer mode, using modern digital technology. So far, eligible farmer families have received benefit of more than Rs. 2 lakh crore under PM-KISAN through 11 instalments. Of this, Rs 1.6 lakh Crore has been transferred during the COVID pandemic period. With the 12th instalment to be released by Prime Minister on 17.10.2022, the total amount transferred to the beneficiaries is expected to cross well over Rs 2.16 lakh Crore.

Since the launch of this path breaking scheme, the scheme has crossed many milestones and has received accolades from several quarters for its scale, transparency and seamless transfer of funds directly to the accounts of eligible farmers. This scheme helped farmers of the country to manage their day-to-day expenses during the COVID pandemic.

Inauguration of Agri Startup Conclave and Exhibition: Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will also inaugurate the Agri Startup Conclave and Exhibition.  About 300 start-ups will showcase their innovation related to Precision Farming, Post-Harvest & Value Add Solutions, Allied Agriculture, Waste to Wealth, Mechanization for Small Farmers, Supply Chain Management & Argi-Logistic on the first day. Around 1500 start-ups will participate in the Sammelan. This platform would facilitate startups to interact with farmers, FPO, Agri-expert, and Corporates etc. On 18th October, startups will share their experience and interact with other stakeholders in the technical sessions. Further, policymakers will explain the role of startups in the 5 trillion economy as well as the existing government schemes for promoting startup ecosystem.

To promote Agri start-ups in the country, the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare (MoAFW) initiated Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana - Remunerative Approaches for Agriculture and Allied Sector Rejuvenation” (RKVY-RAFTAAR). Partnership has been made with five knowledge organizations namely IARI, MANAGE, NIAM, AAU and US Dharwad, and 24 RABIs. The funding support is given up to Rs. 5 Lakh for pre-seed stage startups and Rs. 25 lakhs for seed stage startups. Besides, under RKVY RAFTAAR - more than 2500 Agri- startups have been trained to address problems in the agriculture sector like small farm size, poor infrastructure, low use of farm technologies and best farming techniques, decrease of soil fertility due to over-fertilization and sustained pesticide use.

Launch of 600 PM Kisan Samruddhi Kendras (PM-KSK): Prime Minister will inaugurate 600 PM Kisan Samruddhi Kendras (PM-KSK) of Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilizers. At present there are around 2.7 Lakh fertilizer retail shops in the country at village, sub-district/ sub-division/ taluk and district levels. They are company managed, co-operative shops or retailed to private dealers. The fertilizer retail shops will be converted into one stop shop in phased manner called as Pradhanmantri Kisan Samruddhi Kendra (PMKSK) will cater to the needs of the farmers in the country and provide Agri-inputs (fertilizers, seeds, implements); testing facilities for soil, seeds, fertilizers; awareness among farmers ; provide information regarding various Government schemes and   ensure regular capacity building of retailers at block/ district level outlets. In the pilot phase, at least one retail shop at each district level will be converted to model shop. It is proposed to covert 3, 30,499 retail fertiliser shops into PMKSK.

Launching Bharat Urea Bags - of One Nation One Fertilizer Scheme for Farmers: Prime Minister will also launch India’s biggest move in fertilizers One Nation One Fertilizer (ONOF). Government of India is making it mandatory for fertiliser companies to market their goods under the brand name "Bharat" to standardize fertiliser brands across the nation irrespective of the company that manufactures it. It may be “Bharat Urea, Bharat DAP, Bharat MOP, and Bharat NPK. Development of Single brand ‘Bharat” for all fertilizers will lead to reduce criss-cross movement of fertilizers leading to high freight subsidy. Prime Minister will be launching Bharat urea bags during the event.

Launch of Weekly Fertilizer International e-Magazine: Prime Minister will launch Indian Edge, an international weekly fertilizer e-magazine during the event. It will provide information on domestic & international fertilizer scenario including recent developments, price trends analysis, availability& consumption including Success stories of farmers.

29-Mar-2022: Implementation of PM-Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana

The Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana (PM-KISAN) is being successfully implemented in all States/UTs of the country. The benefits under the Scheme are transferred to the beneficiaries via Direct Benefit Transfer Mode on receipt of their correct data from the respective States/UTs after clearing all validation/verification levels. This is a continuous and ongoing process and the benefits of the Scheme are transferred in three equal instalments every year.

Government has taken many steps for successful implementation of PM-KISAN in all States/UTs of the country, some of which are as follows:

1. Launching of PM-KISAN portal for uploading of farmers’ data by respective State/UT Governments and first level verification thereof.
2. Integration of the PM-KISAN portal with UIDAI, PFMS, Income tax portal and Pensioners & Employee Record for validation/weeding out of ineligible beneficiaries, and NTRP portal for refund of amount by ineligible beneficiaries.
3. Launching of Farmers’ Corner on PM-KISAN portal where farmers can register themselves, check their status of benefit transfer, edit Aadhaar details etc. Farmers can avail all these facilities through CSCs as well.
4. Launching of PM-KISAN app to provide all functionalities of farmers’ corner of PM-KISAN portal.
5. Introduction of various verification exercises like physical verification, e-KYC etc. to ensure that benefits are transferred to eligible farmers only.
6. Launching of recovery mechanism for recovering money from ineligible beneficiaries of PM-KISAN.
7. Regular holding of Video Conferences with States/UTs to resolve their technical and policy issues, if any.
8. Devising special interventions wherever needed, like in Jharkhand, Manipur, Nagaland, and Meghalaya.
9. Setting up of a Project Monitoring Unit at central level, namely National Farmers Welfare Program Implementation Society for the smooth implementation of PM-KISAN.

24-Feb-2022: Celebration of 3rd Anniversary of PM-Kisan Scheme

PM-KISAN is a central sector scheme launched on 24th February, 2019 to supplement financial needs of land holding farmers. Financial benefit of Rs 6000/- per year in three equal installments, every four month is transferred into the bank accounts of farmers’ families across the country through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) mode. The scheme was initially meant for small and marginal farmers (SMFs) having landholding upto 2 hectares but scope of the scheme was extended to cover all landholding farmers with effect from 01.06.2019.

Since, the inception of this scheme, there have been multiple set of technological & process advancements done in the scheme so that maximum number of beneficiaries can take the advantage of the same in an efficient way.

As on 22nd February, 2022, benefits under PM Kisan scheme have been provided to about 11.78 Crore farmers and funds amounting to Rs1.82 lakh crore in various installments have been released to the eligible beneficiaries of this scheme across India. Out of which Rs. 1.29 lakh crore has been released during the current Covid 19 pandemic period.

Self-registration Mechanism: Process of Self-registration of beneficiaries has been made simple and easy through mobile app, PM KISAN portal and walk-ins via Common Service Centers in order to give the maximum benefit to the farmers.

Enhanced Recovery Mechanism: In case of ineligible beneficiary, recovery mechanism has been made very smooth and transparent which doesn’t require Demand Draft or physical cheque to be submitted by the state. The process includes auto transfer from state nodal department’s account to central government account which made this process very efficient and less time consuming.

Grievance Redressal& Helpdesk: In order to address the issues and problems faced by the beneficiaries, a holistic grievance redressal mechanism has been envisaged which involves setting up of a central Project Management Unit of PM Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana at the Centre which performs the overall coordination between all the stakeholders to streamline the processes. A centralized helpdesk has also been introduced in order to support the beneficiaries regarding any issues faced during the registration process or for any other query. Through this initiative about 11.34 lakh grievances have been received from farmers and more than 10.92 lakh grievances have been redressed by the concerned state authorities.

Physical Verification Module: In order to maintain the authenticity and validity of the scheme, a mandatory physical verification of 5% beneficiary every year is being done as per the provisions laid down in the scheme. With the help of Physical Verification Module, now the selection of beneficiary for physical verification has been totally automated and no manual intervention is required. A separate module has been introduced for the validation of 10% of the beneficiaries after the payment for last trimester on 14th May 2021.

Income Tax verification: The beneficiary database in this scheme is being regularly validated with income tax payee database in order to have an audited and authenticated user base.

Demographic Aadhar authentication: To make this whole process more transparent and authenticated, Aadhar validation has been made compulsory. As of now 11.20 Crores beneficiaries data is Aadhar seeded in the scheme.

1-Jan-2022: PM releases 10th instalment of PM-KISAN

In line with the continued commitment and resolve to empower grassroot level farmers, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi released 10th instalment of financial benefit under Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) scheme today via video conferencing. This enabled the transfer of an amount of more than Rs. 20,000 crore to more than 10 crore beneficiary farmer families. During the programme, Prime Minister also released equity grant of more than Rs. 14 crore to about 351 Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs), which will benefit more than 1.24 lakh farmers. Prime Minister interacted with FPOs during the event. Union Minister Shri Narendra Singh Tomar and Chief Ministers, LGs, Agriculture Ministers and farmers from several states were linked to the event.

Interacting with FPO from Uttarakhand, the Prime Minister inquired about the choice of organic farming by them and the  ways of certification of the organic products. He also talked about the marketing of the organic products of the FPO. The FPO also told the Prime Minister how they arrange for organic fertilizers. The Prime Minister said that it has been the efforts of the government that natural and organic farming is widely promoted as it reduces the reliance on chemical fertilizer and improves the income of the farmers.

The FPO from Punjab informed the Prime Minister about the ways of disposing off the parali without burning.  They also talked about the superseeder and  help from government agencies. The Prime Minister wished that their experience of Parali management should be emulated everywhere.

FPO from Rajasthan talked about the honey production. They said that concept of FPO has been very useful for them with the help of NAFED.

FPO from Uttar Pradesh thanked the Prime Minister for creating FPOs as foundation of the prosperity of the farmers. They talked about their process of helping the members with seeds, organic fertilizers, variety of horticulture products. They also talked about helping farmers with getting benefits of the government schemes. They are getting benefits of e-Nam facilities. They promised to fulfil the Prime Minister’s vision of doubling the farmers income. The Prime Minister said that the confidence of the country’s farmer is the key strength of the country.

FPO from Tamil Nadu informed that with NABARD support, they formed FPO to get better prices and the FPO is fully owned and operated completely by women. They informed the Prime Minister that Sorghum is being produced due to the weather conditions of the area. The Prime Minister said Nari Shakti’s success is indication of their indomitable will power. He asked the farmers to take benefits of millet farming.

FPO from Gujarat talked about natural farming and how cow-based agriculture can reduce the expense and stress on soil. Tribal communities of the region are also benefitting from the concept.

Speaking on the occasion, the Prime Minister offered his condolences for the victims of stampede at Mata Vaishno Devi shrine. The Prime Minister also informed that he talked to the LG Shri Manoj Sinha regarding the arrangements for the injured.

The Prime Minister said that today when we are entering the new year,  we need to embark upon a new journey taking inspiration from the achievements of the past years. The Prime Minister recalled the nation’s effort in fighting the pandemic, vaccination and making arrangement for the vulnerable sections during the difficult period. Country is spending 2 lakh 60 thousand crore rupees on making ration available to the vulnerable sections. The Prime Minister said that the government is working relentlessly to strengthen its medical infrastructure. He listed efforts like new oxygen plants, new medical colleges, wellness centres, Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission and Ayushman Bharat Digital Health Mission in the direction of revamping medical infrastructure.

The country is moving with the mantra of Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas and Sabka Prayas. Many people are spending their lives for the country, they are building the country. The Prime Minister said that they used to do this work earlier also, but now there work is being recognized.  “This year we will complete 75 years of our independence. This is the time to start a new vibrant journey of the country's resolves, to move forward with renewed vigour”, he said. Elaborating on the power of collective effort, the Prime Minister pointed out “when 130 crore Indians take one step, it is not merely one step but it amounts to 130 crore steps.”

Speaking about economy, the Prime Minister said that on many parameter, Indian economy is looking better than pre-covid days. He pointed out that “today the growth rate of our economy is more than 8%. Record foreign investment has come to India. Our forex reserves have reached record levels. Old records have also been surpassed in GST collection. We have also set new records in the matter of exports, especially in agriculture.” He said that in 2021 transection of more than 70 lakh crore rupees was done on UPI. More than 50 thousand start-ups are working in India out of these 10 thousand came up during last six months.

Year 2021, the Prime Minister said, was also the year of strengthening India’s cultural heritage. Initiatives like beautification and development of Kashi Vishwanath Dham and Kedarnath Dham, Renovation of Samadhi of Aadi Shankaracharya, restoration of stolen idol of goddess Annapoorna, construction of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya and getting World Heritage status for Dholavira and Durga Puja festival are strengthening India’s heritage and enhancing its tourism and pilgrimage potential.

Year 2021 was an year of optimism for the Matra-Shakti also. Sainik Schools were opened for girls along with the doors of National Defence academy. In the year just gone by, attempts  were initiated for raising marriage age for girls be raised to 21, equal to boys. Indian sports persons also brought glory to the nation in 2021. India is making unprecedented investment in the sporting infrastructure of the country, the Prime Minister informed.

Leading the world against climate change, India has also set a target of Net Zero Carbon Emission in front of the world by 2070. Many records of renewable energy, the Prime Minister said, are being met by India before time. Today India is working on hydrogen mission, taking lead in electric vehicles, he pointed out.  The Prime Minister continued and said  that PM GatiShakti National Master Plan is going to give a new edge to the pace of infrastructure construction in the country. “Giving new dimensions to Make in India, the country has implemented ambitious plans for new sectors like chip manufacturing, semiconductor”, he added.

The Prime Minister summarized the mood of today’s India saying “devoting to the nation with the spirit of 'Nation First', is becoming the sentiment of every Indian today. And that is why, today there is unity in our efforts and in our resolutions. There is impatience for accomplishment. Today there is consistency in our policies and farsightedness in our decisions.”

The Prime Minister said that PM Kisan Samman Nidhi is a big support for India’s farmers. If we include today’s transfer,  more than 1.80 lakh crore rupees have been transferred directly to the accounts of the farmers, he said.

The Prime Minister said that through FPO’s small farmers are feeling the power of collective strength. He pointed out five benefits of FPOs for small farmers. These benefits are increased bargaining power, scale, innovation, risk management and adaptability to the market conditions. Keeping in mind the benefits of FPO’s the government is promoting them at every level. These FPOs are getting help of upto 15 lakh rupees. As a result, FPOs like Organic FPOs, Oil Seed FPOs, Bamboo clusters and Honey FPOs are coming up all over the country. “Today our farmers are benefitting from the schemes like ‘One District One Products’ and markets, both nation and global, are opening for them”, the Prime Minister said. He said that reliance on imports is being reduced by schemes like National Palm Oil Mission with a budget of 11 thousand crore rupees.

The Prime Minister talked about the milestones that were achieved in the agriculture sector in the recent years. Food grain production touched 300 million tonnes, similarly Horticulture and floriculture production reached 330 million tonnes. Milk production also increased almost 45 per cent in last 6-7 years. About 60 lakh hectare land was brought under micro irrigation; more than 1 lakh crore were given in compensation under Prime Minister Fasal Bima Yojna, whereas premium received was just 21 thousand crores. Ethanol production increased from 40 crore litres to 340 crore litres in just seven years. The Prime Minister also informed about the Goberdhan Scheme to promote bio-gas. If there will be value in cow dung, he said, the non-milking animals will not be burden on farmers. The Government has established Kamadhenu Commission and is strengthening dairy sector infrastructure.

The Prime Minister once again pushed for promotion of natural farming. He said that chemical-free farming is a major way of protecting the health of soil. Natural farming is a key step in this direction, he said. He asked for making every farmer aware of the processes and benefits of natural farming. The Prime Minister concluded by calling upon the farmers to keep on doing innovation in farming and support the movement like cleanliness.

9-Aug-2021: PM releases 9th installment of PM-KISAN

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi released the next installment of  financial benefit under Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) today through video conference. The Prime Minister also interacted with farmer beneficiaries during the event. This enabled the transfer of an amount of more than Rs. 19,500 crores to more than 9.75 crores beneficiary farmer families. It was the 9th installment of the financial benefit under Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN).

Addressing the gathering, the Prime Minister talked of the sowing season and expressed the hope that the amount received today will help the farmers. He also mentioned that the scheme of Kisan Infrastructure Fund with 1 lakh crore rupees corpus also completes one year today.  The Prime Minister touched upon initiatives like Mission Honey-Bee and making saffron from Jammu & Kashmir in the NAFED shops. Honey mission has led to 700 crore export of honey resulting in extra income for farmers.

Referring to the upcoming 75th Independence day, he said that apart from being an occasion for  pride  it is also an opportunity for new resolutions. We have to take this opportunity to decide where we want to see India in the coming 25 years, he said. The Prime Minister remarked that our agriculture and our farmers have a big role in determining the condition of India in 2047, when the country completes 100 years of independence. It is time to give direction to India's agriculture to face new challenges and take advantage of new opportunities. He called for changes in the Indian agriculture according to the demands of changing times. He lauded the farmers for record production during the pandemic and outlined the government’s measures to reduce the hardships of farmers during the difficult period. The Government ensured uninterrupted supply of seeds, fertilizers and access to markets. Urea was available throughout and when prices of DAP increased manifold in the international market, the government immediately arranged 12000 crore rupees for that so that the load is not felt by the farmers.

The Prime Minister said the government has made the biggest ever purchase from farmers at MSP, be it Kharif or Rabi season. With this, about Rs 1,70,000 crore have reached directly into the accounts of rice farmers and about Rs. 85,000 crore have gone directly into the account of wheat farmers.

The Prime Minister reminded that he urged the farmers to increase the production of pulses, when there was a shortage of pulses in the country, a few years ago. He said that as a result, there has been an increase of almost 50 percent in the production of pulses in the country in the last 6 years.

The Prime Minister highlighted National Edible Oil Mission-Oil Palm i.e. NMEO-OP as a pledge for achieving self-reliance in edible oil. Today, when the country is remembering the Quit India Movement, on this historic day, this resolve fills us with new energy, he said. He said that through the National Edible Oil Mission-Oil Palm mission, more than Rs 11,000 crore will be invested in the cooking oil ecosystem. Government will ensure that farmers get all the facilities, from quality seeds to technology. The Prime Minister pointed out that today, for the first time, India has reached among the top-10 countries of the world in terms of agricultural exports. The country has set new records of agricultural exports during the Corona period. Today, when India is becoming recognized as a big agricultural exporting country, it is not right to stay dependent on imports for our needs of edible oil.

The Prime Minister remarked that the small farmers are now being given utmost priority in the agricultural policies of the country. With this spirit, in the last few years, serious efforts were being made to provide convenience and security to these small farmers. Under PM Kisan Samman Nidhi, Rs 1 lakh 60 crore has been given to farmers so far. Out which Rs 1 lakh crore were transferred to small farmers during the pandemic period. More than 2 crore Kisan Credit Cards were issued during Corona person, most of them to small farmers. Such farmers will be benefitted by the agriculture infrastructure and connectivity infrastructure that is coming up in the country. Initiatives like Food Parks, Kisan Rails and Infrastructure Fund will help small farmers. In the year gone by, more than 6 thousand projects have been approved under the Infrastructure Fund. These steps increase the small farmer’s access to market and his bargaining power through FPOs, said the Prime Minister.

27-Jul-2021: PM-KISAN Scheme Transaction

Under the PM-KISAN Scheme benefits are transferred in three, four-monthly periods. In every four months period, Rs. 2000/- is transferred to eligible farmers families. Therefore, benefits of Rs. 6000/- is transferred annually.

Under PM-KISAN Scheme the benefits are not transferrable every month. The benefits are transferred in three installments. The cumulative number of PM-KISAN Scheme transactions which have failed since its launch till June, 2021 is 40,16,867. The number of total transaction made under PM-KISAN Scheme till 30th June, 2021 is 68,76,32,104 of which the total number of failed transaction is less than 1%.

Various reasons have been identified by the Union Government for the transactions failure under PM-KISAN Scheme such as Account closed/Transferred, Invalid IFSC, Account Inactive, Account Dormant, Amount exceeds limit set on Account by Bank for Credit/Debit per transaction, Account Holder Expired, Account Blocked or Frozen, Inactive Aadhar, Network failure etc.

To tackle the issues of transaction failures and process the payment to such registered farmers’ families, a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) has been developed and issued to States/UTs for necessary action at their end.  In cases where the corrective measures are to be taken by States/UTs, such transaction failure records are opened to respective State/UT for correction under the “Correction Module” tab of PM-KISAN portal. Thereafter, all the transaction failure records are reprocessed for the payment of the respective installment under PM-KISAN Scheme.

23-Jul-2021: Direct Income Support to Farmers

MSP operations to ensure remunerative price of crops to farmers is continuing. In addition, the Union Government is already providing direct income support to farmers through a central Sector Scheme called the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) Yojana which is being implemented since 1st December, 2018.  The Scheme aims at providing financial assistance to landholding farmer families across the country, subject to certain exclusion criteria, to enable them to take care of expenses related to agriculture and allied activities as well as domestic needs.  Under the Scheme, an amount of Rs. 6000/- per year is transferred in three 4-monthly installments of Rs.2000/- directly into the bank accounts of the farmers. Under the Scheme, an amount of more than Rs. 1.37 lakh crore has been transferred directly into the bank accounts of approximately 11.08 crore eligible beneficiaries till now.

14-May-2021: PM releases 8th instalment of financial benefit under PM-KISAN

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi released 8th instalment of financial benefit of Rs 2,06,67,75,66,000 to 9,50,67,601 beneficiary farmers under Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) scheme today via video conferencing. Prime Minister also interacted with farmer beneficiaries during the event. Union Agriculture Minister was also present on the occasion.

While interacting with beneficiaries of Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) scheme via video conferencing, Prime Minister appreciated Arvind from Unnao in Uttar Pradesh for providing training to young farmers of his region on organic farming and new farming techniques. He lauded Patrick from Car Nicobar in Andaman and Nicobar Islands for doing large-scale organic farming. He praised the efforts taken by N Vennurama from Anantapur in Andhra Pradesh for guiding more than 170 Adivasi farmers of her region. PM appreciated Revistar from Meghalaya for producing spices like Ginger powder, turmeric, cinnamon, etc. in the hilly areas of Meghalaya. He also interacted with Khurshid Ahmed from Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir who cultivates vegetables like capsicum, green chillies and cucumber organically.

Speaking on the occasion, the Prime Minister said for the first time, the farmers of West Bengal would be getting the benefit of this scheme. He lauded the efforts of the farmers who have made record produce in food grains and horticulture amidst the difficulties during this pandemic. He said Government is also setting new records in procurement at MSP every year. Paddy procurement at MSP had set new records and now wheat procurement at MSP is also setting new records. He added that so far this year, about 10 percent more wheat has been procured at MSP, compared to last year. So far, about Rs. 58,000 crores for wheat procurement has reached the farmers' account directly.

Prime Minister remarked that the Government is constantly trying to provide new solutions and new options in farming. Promoting organic farming is also one of such effort. Organic farming delivers more profit and is now being practiced across the nation by young farmers. He said that now organic farming is being practiced on both banks of Ganga and within a radius of about 5 kilometers, so that the Ganga remains clean.

Prime Minister stressed that during this COVID-19 pandemic, Kisan Credit Card’s deadline has been extended and instalments can now be renewed by 30 June. He said more than 2 crore Kisan Credit Cards have been issued in recent years.

Prime Minister said that this once in a century pandemic is challenging the world, as it is an invisible enemy in front of us. He said the Government is fighting COVID-19 with all its might and ensuring that every government department is working day & night to ease the pain of the nation.

Prime Minister remarked that Central Government and all the State Governments together, are making continuous efforts to enable more and more countrymen to get vaccinated at a rapid pace. He said so far, around 18 crore vaccine doses have been given across the country. Free vaccination is being done in government hospitals across the country. Prime Minister urged everyone to register for the vaccine when their turn comes  and ensure covid appropriate behaviour at all times. He added that this vaccine is an important means of protection against corona and will reduce the risk of serious illness.

Prime Minister said Armed forces are working with full strength to ensure oxygen supply in these tough times. Railways are also running oxygen express trains. The pharma sector of the country is manufacturing and delivering medicines at a large scale. He requested the State Governments to ensure strict laws to counter black marketing of medicines and medical supplies.

Prime Minister remarked that India is not a nation that loses hope in tough times and hoped that this challenge would be overcome with strength & dedication. He warned about the spread of COVID-19 in rural areas as well and urged the village panchayats to ensure proper awareness and sanitation in their respective areas.

17-Mar-2021: Features of PM-KISAN Scheme

The Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) Scheme is a Central Sector Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) Scheme, under which, financial assistance of Rs.6000/- per annum is provided to all landholding farmer families across the country, subject to certain exclusion criteria relating to higher income strata, to enable them to take care of expenses related to agriculture and allied activities as well as domestic needs.  The amount is transferred in three 4-monthly installments of Rs. 2000/- each, directly into the bank accounts of the beneficiary farmers identified by the State/UT Governments.  Payment is done on the basis of Aadhaar seeded data of beneficiaries, except for the State/UTs of Assam, Meghalaya, Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh, which have been given exemption in this regard upto 31st March, 2021.

Under the PM-KISAN Scheme, funds are not allocated and sanctioned State-wise. As regards utilization of funds in the State of Rajasthan, around 70,82,035 beneficiaries have been given benefit of the Scheme so far covering various installments.  An amount of Rs.7632.695 crores have been spent under the Scheme with respect to the State of Rajasthan so far.

The number of beneficiaries in Ganganagar district of Rajasthan covered under the Scheme is 1,45,799 while the number of beneficiaries in the Dausa district of Rajasthan stands at 1,71,661.

24-Feb-2021: PM-Kisan scheme completes two years

The PM-Kisan scheme, launched with an aim to ensure a life of dignity and  prosperity for  farmers has completed two years today.

In a series of tweets the Prime Minister said," On this day, 2 years ago the PM-Kisan scheme was launched with an aim to ensure a life of dignity as well as prosperity for our hardworking farmers, who work day and night to keep our nation fed. The tenacity and passion of our farmers is inspiring.

Over the last 7 years, the Government of India has taken many initiatives for transforming agriculture. From better irrigation to more technology, more credit and markets to proper crop insurance, focus on soil health to eliminating middlemen, the efforts are all-encompassing .

Our Government had the honour of ushering a historic increase in MSP. We are doing everything possible to double the income of farmers.

You can find insightful content on the NaMo App, offering a glimpse of the work done for farmers.

18-Sep-2020: Implementation of PM-KISAN Scheme

Under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) Yojna, the responsibility of identifying the landholder farmer family eligible for benefit under the Scheme and uploading the data of the eligible beneficiaries on the PM-KISAN Portal is that of the States/UT Administrations.  The total number of eligible beneficiaries enrolled/uploaded in the PM-KISAN portal as on 17-09-2020 is 11,07,62,287.

Under the Scheme, the States/UTs are required to set up Grievance Redressal Committees for looking into the grievances related to implementation of the scheme. No data of grievances received/disposed of by them is, however, maintained centrally.

27-May-2020: Rs.19,350.84 crore released for 9.67 crore farmers during lockdown period under Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi Scheme

Distribution of Pulses under PM-GKY Yojana: Under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana (PM-GKY) about 4.57 Lakh MT of pulses have been dispatched to the States/UTs. Out of this, 1.78 Lakh MT pulses have been distributed to 1340.61 Lakh beneficiaries in the States/UTs.

Status of procurement of pulses and oilseeds by NAFED during lockdown period:

• 7.33 Lakh MT Gram (Chana) has been procured from 9 States namely Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana.
• 5.91 Lakh MT Mustard has been procured from 5 States namely Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat and Haryana.
• 2.41 Lakh MT Toor has been procured from 8 States namely Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Odisha.

Wheat Procurement in Rabi Marketing Season: In Rabi Marketing Season (RMS) 2020-21, a total of 359.10 Lakh MT wheat is arrived in FCI out of which 347.54 Lakh MT is purchased.

Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) Scheme: Under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) Scheme during the lockdown period from 24.3.2020 till date, 9.67 crore farmers have been benefitted and an amount of Rs. 19,350.84 crore has been released so far.

22-May-2020: More areas under Summer Crops over last year, procurement too rises despite lockdown

Sowing of Summer Crops:

The Sowing Area Coverage of Summer Crops is as follows:

• Rice: About 34.87 lakh hectares area coverage under summer rice as compared to 25.29 lakh ha during the corresponding period of last year.
• Pulses: About 12.82 lakh ha area coverage under pulses as compared to 9.67 lakh ha. during the corresponding period of last year.
• Coarse Cereals: About 10.28 lakh ha area coverage under coarse cereals as compared to 7.30 lakh ha. during the corresponding period of last year.
• Oilseeds: About 9.28 lakh ha area coverage under oilseeds as compared to 7.34 lakh ha. during the corresponding period of last year.

Pulses & Oilseeds procurement: A quantity of 5.89 lakh MT Gram (Chana), 4.97 lakh MT Mustard and 4.99 lakh MT Toor has been procured by NAFED during the lockdown period.

Wheat procurement: In Rabi Marketing Season (RMS) 2020-21, a total of 337.48 Lakh MT wheat is arrived in FCI out of which 326.96 Lakh MT is purchased.

PM-KISAN: The Department of Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers Welfare, Government of India is taking several measures to facilitate the farmers and farming activities at field level during the lockdown period in the wake of Covid 19 pandemic. Under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) Scheme during the lockdown period from 24.3.2020 till date, about 9.55 crore farmer families have been benefitted and an amount of Rs. 19100.77 crore has been released so far.

22-Apr-2020: Cabinet approves extension of relaxation of mandatory requirement of Aadhaar seeding of data

The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has given its approval to relax the mandatory requirement of Aadhaar seeding of data beneficiaries of the States of Assam and Meghalaya and UTs of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh for release of benefits to them under PM-Kisan Scheme upto 31st March, 2021.

The Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) Scheme was launched by the Hon'ble Prime Minister on 24 February, 2019. The Scheme aims to provide income support to all landholder farmer families across the country with cultivable land, subject to certain exclusions. Under the Scheme, an amount of Rs.6000/- per year is released in three 4-monthly instalments of Rs.2000/- each directly into the bank accounts of the beneficiaries. The Scheme is effective from 1st December, 2018. From 1st December, 2019, release of benefits is done only through Aadhaar seeded data of beneficiaries uploaded by the State / UT Governments on the PM-KISAN portal, except in case of the States of Assam and Meghalaya and the UTs of J&K and Ladakh, which have been given exemption from this requirement till 31st March, 2020, as Aadhaar penetration there has been miniscule.

It has been assessed that it would take much more time for the States of Assam and Meghalaya and the UTs of J&K and Ladakh to complete the work of Aadhaar seeding of data of beneficiaries and the beneficiaries of these States / UTs may not be able to avail the benefits of the Scheme w.e.f. 1st April, 2020 onwards, if the relaxation from mandatory requirement of Aadhaar seeding of data is not extended.

The total number of beneficiary farmers in these States and UTs who have been paid at least one installment as on 8.4.2020 are 27,09,586 beneficiaries in Assam, 98,915 beneficiaries in Meghalaya and 10,01,668 beneficiaries in J&K, including Ladakh.

20-Apr-2020: Under PM-KISAN Scheme Rs. 17,793 crores released for 8.89 crore farmer families during the lockdown

The Department of Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers Welfare, Government of India is taking several measures to facilitate the farmers and farming activities at field level during the lockdown period. The updated status is given below:

1. Under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) Scheme during the lockdown period from 24.3.2020 till date, about 8.89 crore farmer families have been benefitted and an amount of Rs. 17,793 crore has been released so far.
2. In order to provide food security during the prevailing situation due to COVID-19 pandemic, the Government has decided to distribute pulses to the eligible households under Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana (PM-GKY). About 107,077.85 MT pulses have so far been issued to the States/UTs.

Under PMGKY, the States/UTs namely A&N, Andhra Pradesh, Chandigarh, Chhattisgarh, Daman & Diu, Goa, Gujarat have commenced the distribution of pulses to the beneficiaries. Other States like Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan, Telangana, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, and Delhi have received the partial stock and will commence the distribution to the beneficiaries in phased manner as per their plan.

The distribution of pulses under PMGKY is to benefit around 19.50 crore household       spread across 36 States and Union territories.

17-Mar-2020: Financial Package to boost Rural Income

Agriculture and farmers are backbone of rural economy. With a view to provide income support to farmers’ families across the country, to enable them to take care of expenses related to agriculture and allied activities as well as domestic needs, Government launched the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) on 24.2.2019. Under the scheme, an amount of Rs. 6000/- is transferred directly into the bank accounts of farmers’ families every year, in three 4-monthly installments of Rs. 2000/- each. Farmers falling within the purview of exclusion criteria relating to higher income status are not eligible to get the benefit. Land owning farmers practicing animal husbandry and fisheries may also avail the benefit of this scheme subject to the exclusion criteria of the scheme.

Government has also been taking various other long term sustainable measures to boost agriculture productivity and farmers’ income and rural economy. For example:

1. With a view to provide better insurance coverage to crops for risk mitigation, a crop insurance scheme namely Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) has been launched, which provides insurance cover for all stages of the crop cycle including postharvest risks in specified instances, with low premium contribution by farmers.
2. Minimum Support Price (MSPs) are announced for various crops from time-to- time.
3. Scheme of Soil Health Cards (SHC) has been implemented so that the use of fertilizers can be rationalized.
4. “Per drop more crop” initiative has been undertaken under which drip/sprinkler irrigation is encouraged for optimal utilization of water, reducing cost of inputs and increasing productivity.
5. Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY) has been implemented for promoting organic farming.
6. e-NAM initiative has been undertaken to provide farmers an electronic, transparent and competitive online trading platform.
7. Agro forestry has been promoted under “Har Medh Par Ped” for additional income.
8. An Umbrella Scheme ‘Pradhan Mantri Annadata Aay Sanrakshan Abhiyan (PMAASHA) has been launched, aimed at ensuring remunerative prices to the farmers.
9. Bee keeping has been promoted under Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH) to increase the productivity of crops through pollination and increase the honey production as an additional source of income of farmers.
10. The scheme of Kisan Credit Cards (KCC) has been implemented for easy availability of agricultural credit to farmers, including animal husbandry and fisheries farmers.
11. Institutional agricultural credit at affordable interests has been brought within the reach of more and more farmers. Government provides interest subvention of 2% on short-term crop loans up to Rs.3.00 lakh. Presently, loan is available to farmers at an interest rate of 4% per annum on prompt repayment.
12. Further, under Interest Subvention Scheme 2018-19, in order to provide relief to the farmers on occurrence of natural calamities, the interest subvention of 2% has been made available for the first year on the restructured amount. In order to discourage distress sale by farmers and to encourage them to store their produce in warehouses against negotiable receipts, the benefit of interest subvention will be available to small and marginal farmers having Kisan Credit Cards for a further period of upto six months post-harvest on the same rate as available to crop loan.

Further measures may be considered from time to time for enhancing the financial condition of farmers and to boost rural economy.

24-Feb-2020: 1st Anniversary of Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) observed

The Union Minister for Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare, Rural Development & Panchayati Raj, Shri Narendra Singh Tomar has said the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) Scheme is comprehensive, ambitious and will help boost farmers’ income. Addressing a function here today to mark the 1st anniversary of starting of the Scheme, Shri Tomar said the Central Sector Scheme PM-KISAN is among the several new initiatives undertaken by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi focusing on Agriculture and Rural Development sectors. The Prime Minister has set the target of doubling farmers’ income by the year 2022.

Shri Tomar said a budget of Rs.75,000 crore has been provided in the current Financial Year for the PM-KISAN scheme under which a total sum of Rs.6,000 each is being provided to farmers annually. More than Rs.50,850 crores has already been released, he added.

Shri Tomar said more than 8.46 crore farmer families have been given the PM-KISAN benefits. He said the total number of beneficiaries to be covered under the scheme is about 14 crore, and the Government aims to cover 12 lakh farmers by the end of this Financial Year. Besides the Common Service Centres (CSCs), the Ministry has launched online procedure for farmers’ enrolment, he added.

Pointing out that the West Bengal Government has not verified the farmers’ data from state, Shri Tomar appealed to the Chief Minister to expedite the process. He said an estimated 70 lakh farmers of the State are eligible, of whom about 10 lakh farmers have applied individually online, but the entire database has to verified by the State Government. Eligible farmers from the state can avail Rs.4,000 crore of benefits under the PM-KISAN Scheme once the State Government furnishes the data, he added.

Shri Tomar said the Prime Minister has declared that all KISAN beneficiaries will be given the Kisan Credit Card (KCC) so that farmers can take easy loans from the banks. The Government has included Animal Husbandry and Fisheries sectors under the ambit of the KCC Scheme. He said a massive distribution drive will be held on 29th February during which KCCs will be issued to farmers at 20,000 bank branches spread across the country. The Prime Minister will himself disburse KISAN benefits to select farmers and distribute KCC cards at the main function at Chitrakoot in Uttar Pradesh on this day. 10,000 new Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) are being registered and each will get a support of Rs. 15 lakh from the government to promote agriculture.

Shri Tomar said, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Government has not only launched a slew of schemes towards boosting rural income, but also set in place an exhaustive implementation mechanism with transparent procedures and earmarked liberal funds. As per the recommendations of the Swaminathan Committee, the Government has set the Minimum Support Price (MSP) at one-and-a-half times of the production cost to farmers. He said the Government is promoting organic farming and more than 6 lakh hectares land has been brought under it.

On the occasion, Shri Tomar launched the PM-KISAN Mobile App, which offers farmers access to a host of features related to their benefits. The farmers can view the status of their application, update or carry out corrections of their Aadhaar cards and also check history of credits to their bank accounts.

Speaking on the occasion, Secretary, Department of Agriculture, Cooperation & Farmers Welfare, Shri Sanjay Agarwal, said the Department will finalise by June, 2020 a comprehensive farmers’ database covering major Schemes like the Soil Health Card, PM-KISAN and KCC.

31-Dec-2019: Centre to disburse Rs 12,000 crore to 6 crore farmers

The Centre will transfer over Rs. 12,000 crore to the bank accounts of more than 6 crore farmers under the flagship PM-Kisan Scheme on January 2 at Tumkur in Karnataka. Prime minister Narendra Modi will release the funds as a new year gift to the farmers.

No farmer has received the installment of Rs. 2,000 since December 1 as the plan was to transfer the amount at one-go in new year. This is the last tranche of installment this financial year and at least 6.5 crore farmers will get the benefit as their data have already been verified with Aadhaar-linked bank accounts. Disbursal to above 6.5 crore farmers will depend on new enrollment under the scheme and data verification through Aadhaar, which is compulsory from December 1.

Of 14 crore farmers estimated to get the PM-Kisan benefits, the Centre has collected data of as many as 9.2 crore farmers as on December 29. West Bengal, with an estimated over 70 lakh farmers, is the only state out of the ambit of PM-Kisan as it has refused to share and authenticate farmers’ data. Uttar Pradesh is the top-performing state, which has collected data of nearly 2 crore (out of 2.4 crore) farmers, so far.

The Centre may be able to save about 40% of the budgeted Rs. 75,000 crore this financial year under the scheme while the total disbursal could be around Rs. 45,000 crore. Till November 30, the Centre had transferred Rs. 35,955.66 crore into bank accounts of 7.62 crore, 6.5 crore and 3.86 crore farmers (not mutually exclusive sets) as first, second and third installments, respectively, since the inception of the scheme. Of this amount, about Rs. 6,000 crore was disbursed in FY19.

The direct-benefit transfer scheme was announced by then finance minister Piyush Goyal during his Interim Budget speech in February. Initially, the target was to cover 12 crore small and marginal farmers (owning up to 2 hectare), with each getting Rs. 6,000/year in three equal installments of Rs. 2,000 each. But after returning to power in May, the NDA government expanded the scheme to cover all the farmers, benefiting additional 2 crore growers.

9-Oct-2019: Cabinet approves relaxation of Aadhaar seeding of data of the beneficiaries under Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-Kisan)

The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved the relaxation of the mandatory requirement of Aadhaar Seeded data as a pre-condition for release of funds to the beneficiaries under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-Kisan) scheme.

The scheme provides income support of Rs 6,000 per year to landholding families, subject to certain exclusions. The amount is released in three 4-monthly instalments of Rs 2,000 each directly to the bank accounts of the beneficiaries through DBT mode.

Under this scheme, after 1st August, 2019, release of 3rd Instalment onwards to those beneficiaries who got first instalment during December, 2018 - March, 2019 and 2nd instalment during April-July, 2019 is to be made only on the basis of Aadhaar seeded database. Similarly, after 1st August, 2019, release of 2nd instalment onwards to those who got 1st instalment during April-July, 2019 is to be made only on the basis of Aadhaar seeded database. Again, after 1st August, 2019, release of 1st instalment onwards to the rest of the beneficiaries after 1st August, 2019 is to be made only on the basis of Aadhaar seeded database. Farmers in the States of Assam, Meghalaya and J&K, where there has not been enough Aadhaar penetration, have been exempted from this requirement till 31.3.2020.

However, it has not been possible to get 100% Aadhaar seeding for release of funds as per the prescribed time schedule before release of instalments after 1st August, 2019. Since the farmers are still gearing up for Rabi season, they are in dire need of money to take care of various farming activities like procurement of seeds, preparation of soil and other associated activities like irrigation, maintenance and mobilization of machinery and tools. Over and above these pressing needs, the just started festive season will put further stress on the financial condition of the poor farmers' households in the country. Non-seeding of beneficiaries' details with Aadhaar number will delay the release of further instalments and will cause discontentment among the farmers. Therefore, the mandatory requirement of Aadhaar seeding for release of benefits after 1st August, 2019 has been relaxed till 30th November, 2019. This will enable immediate release of benefits to a large number of farmers who are not able to avail the same due this requirement. This mandatory requirement will remain applicable for release of benefits w.e.f. 1st December, 2019 onwards. The Government will take adequate measures to validate the data before payment is made.

Background: The Central Sector Scheme, namely, the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) provides income support to land-holding farmers' families, subject to certain exclusions, by way of payment of Rs.6000/- per year. The amount is released in three 4-monthly instalments of Rs.2000 /- each directly into the bank accounts of the beneficiaries through DBT mode. A total amount of more than Rs.27000 crores has already been released under the scheme through the 1st instalment to 6,76,76,073 beneficiaries, 2nd instalment to 5,14,27,195 beneficiaries and 3rd instalment to 1,74,20,230 beneficiaries.

31-May-2019: PM-KISAN Scheme extension to include all eligible farmer families irrespective of the size of land holdings

The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved that the ambit of the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) would be comprehensively extended. With this decision, all land holding eligible farmer families (subject to the prevalent exclusion criteria) would avail of the benefits under this scheme.

More beneficiaries, greater progress: The revised Scheme is expected to cover around 2 crore more farmers, increasing the coverage of PM-KISAN to around 14.5 crore beneficiaries, with an estimated expenditure by Central Government of Rs. 87,217.50 crores for year 2019-20.

Speed, scale and a major promise delivered: Today’s Cabinet decision pertaining to expanding the ambit PM-KISAN marks the fulfilment of a major promise made by the Prime Minister to the people of India in the run-up to the 2019 Parliamentary elections. The BJP manifesto too mentioned this major policy decision. It may also be noted that certain operational issues like lack of updated land records in Jharkhand and lack of Aadhaar penetration in states of Assam, Meghalaya and J&K have also been resolved.

PM-KISAN: A path-breaking support incentive for farmers:

• The genesis of the PM-KISAN Yojana dates back to the interim Budget for the year 2019-2020.
• The key element of PM-KISAN is income support of Rs. 6000/- to the small and marginal landholder farmer families with cultivable land holding upto 2 hectare across the country. (This has been expanded)
• The amount is being released in three 4-monthly instalments of Rs.2000/- each over the year, to be credited into the bank accounts of the beneficiaries held in destination banks through Direct Benefit Transfer mode.
• The scheme was launched in a record time of 3 weeks, on 24th February at a huge programme in Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh where the first rounds of instalments was paid to several farmers.
• So far, 1st instalment to 3.11 crore beneficiaries and 2nd instalment to 2.66 crore beneficiaries have been credited directly to the bank accounts of the farmer families.

Serving India’s Annadatas with renewed vigour: Time and again, PM Narendra Modi has spoken with great reverence for India’s farmers. He has described India’s farmers as our Annadatas who undertake great efforts to feed 1.3 billion Indians. Between 2014 to 2019, numerous measures were taken to empower the hardworking farmer. This includes increase in the Minimum Support Prices (MSP) for 22 crops, Soil Health Cards, PM Krishi Sinchai Yojana, PM Kisan Sampada Yojana, e-NAM for better markets and more. These steps have made agriculture more prosperous and ensured greater productivity for farmers. They will go a long way in fulfilling the Prime Minister’s dream of doubling farmer incomes by 2022, when India marks 75 years of freedom.

7-Mar-2019: PM-KISAN SCHEME – More than 2 crore Small/Marginal Farmers have benefited so far

With a view to augment the income of farmers by providing income support to all Small and Marginal landholder farmers’ families across the country and to enable them to take care of expenses related to agriculture and allied activities as well as domestic needs, the Central Government had started a new Scheme on 01.02.2019 namely, the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN). The Scheme aims to provide a payment of Rs.6000/- per year for the farmers’ families with cultivable land holding upto 2 hectare, subject to certain exclusions.

This Rs.6000/- would be released in three 4-monthly installments of Rs.2000/- over the year. The scheme is effective from 1.12.2018. The amount is being released by the Central Government directly into the bank accounts of the eligible farmers under Direct Benefit Transfer mode for a period of 4 months ending on 31.03.2019. Around 12.5 crore farmers across the country will be benefitted from this Scheme. Under the scheme, the responsibility of identification of the eligible beneficiaries rests with the State Government.

The Scheme was formally launched at national level by the Hon’ble Prime Minister on the 24th February, 2019 at Gorakhpur, UP. The first installment for the first 4-month period, financial benefits of Rs.2000/- were released to about 1.01 crore farmers in the first trench entailing fund release of Rs. 2021 crore.

The scheme is being implemented efficiently and the first installment are released expeditiously. Till date, the benefit has already been released to more than 2 crore small and marginal farmers. The State-wise number of beneficiaries, which have been transferred the 1st installment is enclosed. It is a continuous scheme and the aim of the Department is to cover all eligible small and marginal farmer families.

28-Feb-2019: Aadhaar seeding not mandatory for 2nd instalment of Rs 2,000 under PM KISAN scheme

Seeding of Aadhaar with bank accounts will not be compulsory for small and marginal farmers to avail the second instalment of Rs 2,000 due on April 1 under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KiSAN) scheme. However, Aadhaar number would be required for release of second installment.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 24 launched the PM-Kisan scheme, transferring the first instalment of Rs 2,000 each to 1.01 crore farmers, totalling Rs 2,021 crore.

Non-seeding of beneficiaries' details with Aadhaar number will delay the release of 2nd installment as it is due on 1st April, 2019 and will cause discontent among the farmers. Therefore, this condition has been relaxed.

The condition will remain applicable for release of third installment onwards.

The Cabinet, while approving the scheme on February 1, made Aadhaar seeding of the beneficiaries' data compulsory for release of 2nd installment onwards.

However, it would be difficult to get 100 per cent Aadhaar seeding for release of funds for 2nd installment, as efficient seeding of beneficiaries' details with Aadhaar requires bio-metric authentication. Demographic seeding will result in large scale rejection as the spellings of names have to be exactly the same.

Under the Rs 75,000 crore PM-KISAN scheme, Rs 6,000 per year will be given to 12 crore small and marginal farmer families in three instalments. The PM-KISAN is completely funded by the central government.

For the purpose of the calculation of the benefit, the Centre has defined a small and marginal landholder family as the one comprising of husband, wife and minor children up to 18 years of age, who collectively own cultivable land up to two hectare as per the land records of the concerned states.

24-Feb-2019: PM launches “PM-KISAN” from Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, launched the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) from Gorakhpur. The Prime Minister congratulated the farmers for the launch of Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi. He also congratulated farmer families engaged in dairy farming, and fisheries, as they now have access to Kisan Credit Cards.

The Prime Minister said that the Government is determined to make the farmers capable and empowered. He said that the Government is working to provide all the necessary means to the farmers, to enable them to double their income by 2022.

About 12 crore farmers are expected to benefit from PM-KISAN. The Prime Minister said that through this scheme, Rs. 75,000 crore will be transferred to farmers’ accounts every year. He urged State Governments to send the lists of beneficiary farmers to the Union Government at the earliest, so that farmers can receive the benefit of this scheme in time.

The Prime Minister said that while the loan waivers announced periodically by earlier Governments, did not provide long term or comprehensive relief to the farmers, PM-KISAN will not only provide them relief, but will also mark a massive investment in the rural economy.

Government is also investing about one lakh crore rupees to complete long pending irrigation projects, which will be of great and lasting help to farmers in many parts of the country. He also mentioned the 17 crore soil health cards, neem coating of urea, MSP for 22 crops at 50 percent above the cost price, PM Fasal Bima Yojana, and the e-NAM platform.

Farmers can now avail credit upto Rs. 1.60 lakh, through Kisan Credit Cards. He also touched upon other welfare schemes for the benefit of farmers.

23-Feb-2019: PM to launch PM-KISAN scheme from Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, will visit Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh on 24 February 2019 and will launch the PM-KISAN scheme.

At Fertilizer Corporation of India ground in Gorakhpur, Prime Minister will mark the launch of the PM-KISAN scheme, through press of button, to electronically transfer the first instalment of Rs 2,000 to selected farmers. This will mark the official launch of the PM KISAN scheme. PM will also distribute certificates to select farmers under PM-KISAN scheme. PM will also interact with select beneficiaries of PM-KISAN through video conference.

Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana (PM KISAN): The Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana (PM-KISAN) was announced in the interim Budget 2019-20 on February 1, 2019. Under the Scheme, Rs 6,000 will be given per year to small and marginal farmer families having combined land holding/ownership of upto 2 hectares. The amount will be given in three installments of Rs.2000 each. The amount will be transferred directly to the bank account of beneficiaries through Direct Benefit Transfer. DBT will ensure transparency in the entire process and will save time for the farmers.

The Scheme was introduced to augment the income of the Small and Marginal Farmers (SMFs). It is estimated to benefit more than 12 crore small and marginal farmers.

The PM-KISAN scheme aims to supplement the financial needs of the SMFs in procuring various inputs to ensure proper crop health and appropriate yields, commensurate with the anticipated farm income at the end of the each crop cycle. This would also protect them from falling in the clutches of moneylenders for meeting such expenses and ensure their continuance in the farming activities.

PM KISAN is a Central Sector scheme with 100% funding from Government of India. The Scheme becomes effective from 1.12.2018 for transfer of benefit to eligible beneficiaries.

State Government and UT Administration will identify the farmer families which are eligible for support as per scheme guidelines.

PM KISAN is a revolutionary scheme which aims to transform the lives of small and marginal farmers in India, by providing them assured monetary support in three instalments every year. The scheme implemented through DBT, will transfer the amount directly to the bank account of the beneficiary, thereby eliminating middlemen and corruption. As against the onetime loan waivers, PM KISAN is truly an empowering project designed for ensuring dignified life for small scale farmers. In the long run, the scheme is expected to address farmer migration and improve crop intensity.

1-Feb-2019: Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi announced to provide assured income support to small and marginal farmers

To provide an assured income support to the small and marginal farmers, the Government is launching the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN). While presenting the Interim Budget 2019-20 in Parliament the Union Minister for Finance, Corporate Affairs, Railways & Coal, Shri Piyush Goyal said, “Under this programme, vulnerable landholding farmer families, having cultivable land upto 2 hectares, will be provided direct income support at the rate of Rs. 6,000 per year. This income support will be transferred directly into the bank accounts of beneficiary farmers, in three equal instalments of Rs. 2,000 each. This programme will be funded by Government of India. Around 12 crore small and marginal farmer families are expected to benefit from this. The programme would be made effective from 1st December 2018 and the first installment for the period upto 31st March 2019 would be paid during this year itself. This programme will entail an annual expenditure of Rs.75,000 crore”. PM-KISAN would not only provide assured supplemental income to the most vulnerable farmer families, but would also meet their emergent needs especially before the harvest season. PM-KISAN would pave the way for the farmers to earn and live a respectable living.

Rashtriya Gokul Mission: Regarding Animal Husbandry the Minister said, “I have increased the allocation for Rashtriya Gokul Mission to Rs.750 crore in the current year itself. I announce setting up of "Rashtriya Kamdhenu Aayog" to upscale sustainable genetic upgradation of cow resources and to enhance production and productivity of cows. The Aayog will also look after effective implementation of laws and welfare schemes for cows.”

Department of Fisheries: To provide sustained and focused attention towards development of fisheries sector, the Government has decided to create a separate Department of Fisheries. The Minister said, “In the last Budget, our Government announced the facility of extension of Kisan Credit Card scheme (KCC) to Animal Husbandry and Fisheries farmers. Now, I propose to provide the benefit of 2% interest subvention to the farmers pursuing the activities of animal husbandry and fisheries, who avail loan through Kisan Credit Card. Further, in case of timely repayment of loan, they will also get an additional 3% interest subvention.”

 Crop Loans: When natural calamities strike, farmers are generally unable to repay their crop loans. The Finance Minister said, “Presently, the crop loans are rescheduled for such affected farmers and they get benefit of interest subvention of 2% only for the first year of the rescheduled loan. Our Government has now decided that all farmers affected by severe natural calamities, where assistance is provided from National Disaster Relief Fund (NDRF), will be provided the benefit of interest subvention of 2% and prompt repayment incentive of 3% for the entire period of rescheduling of their loans.”