The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, has approved a major expansion of the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) scheme. The revised decision brings all land-holding eligible farmer families (subject to exclusion criteria) under the scheme’s ambit.
Key Highlights:
14.5 crore farmers will now benefit from the scheme, up from 12.5 crore earlier.
Estimated annual expenditure for 2019-20: ₹87,217.50 crore.
The expansion fulfills a key promise made in the 2019 BJP Manifesto and by Prime Minister Modi during the election campaign.
PM-KISAN: A Landmark Income Support Scheme
Launched on 24th February 2019 in Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, PM-KISAN provides ₹6,000 per year to eligible farmer families in three equal instalments of ₹2,000 each, directly credited via Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT).
Initially aimed at small and marginal farmers with up to 2 hectares of land, the scheme now includes all eligible land-holding farmers, expanding its outreach and impact.
So far:
1st instalment credited to 3.11 crore farmers
2nd instalment credited to 2.66 crore farmers
Operational Bottlenecks Resolved
Challenges such as outdated land records in Jharkhand and insufficient Aadhaar coverage in Assam, Meghalaya, and Jammu & Kashmir have been effectively addressed to ensure smoother implementation.
A Continued Commitment to India’s Annadatas
This expansion is a part of the government’s broader efforts to improve the livelihoods of farmers, including:
Increase in Minimum Support Prices (MSP) for 22 crops
Soil Health Card scheme
PM Krishi Sinchai Yojana
PM Kisan Sampada Yojana
e-NAM for better market access
These initiatives aim to make Indian agriculture more productive and sustainable, in line with Prime Minister Modi’s vision to double farmer incomes by 2022, commemorating 75 years of Indian independence.
.jpg)