As one of the largest direct income support schemes in the world, PM Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana (PM-Kisan) aims to improve the lives of small and marginal farmers in India by providing them with financial assistance. The scheme, which was launched in 2019, has garnered a lot of attention due to its potential to address the challenges of poverty and food insecurity faced by farming communities in the country.
Under the PM-Kisan scheme, eligible beneficiaries are entitled to receive a minimum income support of Rs 6,000 per annum. This financial assistance is provided in three instalments of Rs 2,000 each, directly into the bank accounts of the beneficiary farmers. The scheme aims to benefit around 125 million farmers across India.
To be eligible for the PM-Kisan scheme, farmers must be classified as small and marginal farmers. The scheme defines small and marginal farmers as those with cultivable landholding of up to 2 hectares. The scheme also covers farmer families that have higher landholdings, but only if they can provide documentation to prove that they are engaged in farming activities and meet the other eligibility criteria.
The scheme relies on data from various sources, including land records, to determine the eligibility of farmers. Agriculture officials at the village level are responsible for verifying the eligibility of farmers and facilitating the registration process. The government has also established a dedicated PM-Kisan portal where farmers can register and check the status of their applications. The PM-Kisan portal provides farmers with all the information they need to know about the scheme, including the criteria for eligibility, the application process, and the payment of instalments.
As of January 2021, over 110 million farmers have been registered under the PM-Kisan scheme. The government has disbursed over Rs 92,000 crores to farmers through the scheme, with over Rs 18,000 crores disbursed during the Covid-19 pandemic. The scheme has been widely praised for its ability to provide timely financial assistance directly to farmers’ bank accounts, which has helped them cope with the economic impact of the pandemic.
In conclusion, the PM-Kisan scheme is an ambitious initiative by the government to provide income support to small and marginal farmers across India. The scheme has made significant progress in reaching out to farmers and disbursing financial assistance directly to their bank accounts. The scheme has helped farmers cope with the economic challenges caused by the pandemic and has the potential to transform the lives of millions of farming families across the country.