The Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojna (PM-KISAN) is a government initiative launched in 2019 to provide direct financial assistance to farmers across India. The scheme aims to help agriculture by providing financial assistance to small and marginal farmers who have landholding of up to 2 hectares.
Under the scheme, eligible farmers receive Rs. 6,000 per year in three equal instalments of Rs. 2,000 each, credited directly to their bank accounts. The scheme is expected to benefit around 145 million farmers across India.
Farmers can apply for the scheme through various options such as online through the official PM-KISAN website or mobile app, offline by visiting the local agriculture department or Common Service Centres (CSC), and through Bank Mitras or Aadhaar Seva Kendras.
The scheme has been praised for its simplicity and ease of access. The government has also stated that the PM-KISAN scheme has helped to improve the financial situation of farmers and has increased their purchasing power, leading to better standards of living and greater agricultural productivity.
However, the scheme has also faced criticism. Some have argued that the assistance provided is insufficient for farmers facing financial difficulties, particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Others have raised concerns about the scheme’s exclusion criteria, which exclude certain categories of farmers, such as those who own more than 2 hectares of land.
The government has responded to these concerns by making changes to the scheme, such as increasing the eligibility limit from 2 hectares to 5 hectares and expanding the scheme to cover tenant farmers and sharecroppers.
Overall, the PM-KISAN scheme aims to offer direct financial assistance to small and marginal farmers across India to help improve their financial conditions and increase agricultural productivity. Despite some criticisms, the scheme has already benefited a large number of farmers and continues to evolve to better serve the needs of India’s farming community.