After five years and the disbursement of more than ₹ 3.68 Lakh million rupees in 19 deliveries under the flagship scheme of PM-Kisan, a pressing question arises: are the benefits really reaching the farmers who need them more difficult?
Run in February 2019, Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) provides ₹ 6,000 per year to eligible farmers to keep land in three equal installments through direct benefits transfer accounts. While the initial response was marked by a dramatic increase in registration, the trends recently suggest a more complex and unequal path.
The increase and decline
The scheme had an aggressive beginning. For the second installment (April – July 2019), the number of beneficiaries had almost doubled, so in 90 percent to reach more than 6 crore farmers. In the next two deliveries, the registration crossed 8 million rupees, already mid -2020, had violated the 9 million rupee brand. This rapid expansion reflected the government’s mobilization capacity, helped by AADHAAR -based platforms and the Coordination of the State, especially in the period prior to the pandemic.
PM-Kisan reached its maximum of all time in mid-2012 (April-Yeuly) with more than 10.48 crore farmers who received funds, since all rural homes in India. But of the 12Th Ondards Ondards (August – November 2022), the numbers fell sharply. The beneficiaries fell from 10.48 million rupees to 8.57 million rupees in a single cycle, a decrease of 18.3 percent.
This was not an isolated sauce. For the following several cycles, the count of beneficiaries was around 8.1 and 8.5 million rupees. Only for the 16Th The delivery (December 2023 to Sea 2024) made the reverse trend, rising to 9.04 million rupees, thanks to the mass saturation unit launched on November 15, 2023, which added more than 1.5 crore new eligible farmers.
Verification and exclusion
Government officials attribute fluctuation in the number of beneficiaries to more strict digital verification processes: AADHAAR sowing, mandatory EKYC and validation of land records. According to the government, the thesis steps, although destined to prevent fraud, also presented systemic problems. To date, ₹ 416 million rupees of the initial claimants have been recovered, including high -income winners, PSU employees and government officials erroneously registered under the scheme.
The Minister of State for Agriculture, Ramnath Thakur, recently informed Lok Sabha that disbursements are now strictly linked to verified data on the PM-Kisan portal, with the states/UT responsible for guaranteeing the recovery of the foundable battery.
The Government states that PM-Kisan has promoted rural economic growth, relieved credit limitations and increased agricultural investments. It improved the risk taking of farmers and supported agricultural and incidental expenses, marking it as a transforming scheme for the agricultural community of India.
The digital division
But on the field, farmers’ leaders express frustration. “₹ 6,000 a year is a symbolic gesture. It does not solve our problems,” said Madhu Harne, a Sanghatana leader or Shetkari. “We need infrastructure, market access and technology, not bureaucratic obstacles and tokenism,” he added.
The Indian official has between 9 million rupees to almost 15 crore farmers, however, farmers’ leaders argue that a significant number of them remains deprived of the benefits of the PM-Kisan scheme.
Harne emphasized that thousands of eligible farmers remain excluded due to digital barriers, such as low internet access or the inability to navigate the online processes necessary for choice.
Link with inflation
Several farmers organizations have been urging the government to increase the amount of PM-Kisan delivery and link it to inflation. Responding to these demands, the Permanent Agriculture Committee, Animal Crania and Food Processing, in its first report for 2024-25, asked the Department of Agriculture and Welfare of Farmers if there are Nidhi Samman, Esspecislall have approved five years since the beginning of the scheme. In his response, the department has clarified that there is currently no proposal under consideration to link the PM-Kisan scheme with inflation.
Posted on April 18, 2025