This week Prime Minister Narendra Modi released the 17th installment of the PM-KISAN scheme amounting to more than Rs 20,000 crores to around 9.26 crore beneficiary farmers. More than 11 crore eligible farmer families have received benefits of 3.04 lakh crore under the Central government scheme so far.

When was PM Kisan Scheme launched?

The Modi-led government launched the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) scheme on February 2, 2019. The scheme seeks to supplement the financial needs of eligible farmers and ensure their financial security between crop cycles. It is dubbed as one of the largest Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) schemes in the world.

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Under the PM-KISAN scheme, eligible farmer families receive an income support of Rs 6,000 per year. This financial assistance is distributed in three equal installments of Rs 2,000 each, directly credited to the beneficiaries bank accounts. The definition of a family under the scheme includes the husband, wife, and minor children of the landholding farmer. The scheme is funded entirely by the Government of India and is implemented through the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare.

Eligibility Criteria for PM-KISAN Scheme

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

  1. Ownership of Land: The farmer should be the owner of cultivable land. Landholding should be in the farmer’s name as per land records.
  2. Cultivable Land: Farmers who cultivate land (irrespective of the size of landholding) are eligible. This includes both small and marginal farmers.
  3. Family Criteria: The benefit is provided to all eligible farmer families, defined as husband, wife, and minor children.
  4. Age Criteria: There is no age restriction for eligibility under the PM-KISAN scheme.
  5. Income Criteria: There is no income criterion specified. However, institutional landholders and farmers who have retired from government service with a pension above a certain threshold are excluded.
  6. Citizenship: The scheme is available only to Indian citizens.
  7. Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT): The beneficiary farmers must have a valid Aadhaar number for identification and linking with their bank account to receive the benefits.
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Exclusion Criteria for PM-KISAN Scheme

Certain categories of individuals are excluded from receiving benefits under the PM-KISAN scheme. The exclusion criteria include:

  1. All institutional land holders are excluded from the scheme.
  2. Farmer families which belong to one or more of the following categories:
    -Former and present holders of constitutional posts
    -Former and present ministers, State ministers and former or present Members of Lok Sabha, RajyaSabha, State Legislative Assemblies, State Legislative Councils, former and present Mayors of Municipal Corporations, former and present Chairpersons of District Panchayats.
    -All serving or retired officers and employees of Central, State Government Ministries, Offices, Departments and its field units Central or State PSEs and Attached offices /Autonomous Institutions under Government as well as regular employees of the Local Bodies. This excludes Multi-Tasking Staff /Class IV/Group D employees.
    -All superannuated/retired pensioners whose monthly pension is Rs 10,000 or more. This also excludes Multi Tasking Staff / Class IV/Group D employees).
  3. All Persons who paid Income Tax in last assessment year
  4. Professionals like Doctors, Engineers, Lawyers, Chartered Accountants, and Architects registered with Professional bodies and carrying out profession by undertaking practices.

Notably, over one lakh farmers have voluntarily given up the benefits of the PM-KISAN scheme across the country from June 2023- May 2024, according to data revealed by the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare. Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan are the top three states to have given up the benefits.