About the Scheme
Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) is run by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare to support the financial needs of landholding farmer families. The money is meant to help farmers buy the inputs needed for good crop health and proper yields in line with the expected farm income, and also to meet domestic needs. The Central Government releases the amount online directly into the bank accounts of eligible farmers through Direct Benefit Transfer, subject to certain exclusions.
Key Benefits Explained
Each eligible farmer family receives ₹6,000 a year. This is not paid in one go; it comes in three equal instalments of ₹2,000 each, one every four months. The benefit is calculated per family, not per individual, and the size of the landholding does not matter: the scheme covers all landholding farmer families, including those with more than 2 hectares of cultivable land.
Who Should Apply and Who Cannot
A family qualifies if it holds cultivable land in its members' names. However, families of higher economic status are left out. The exclusions cover:
- All institutional land holders.
- Families where any member is a former or present holder of a constitutional post, a former or present Minister/State Minister, MP, MLA or MLC, a former or present Mayor of a Municipal Corporation, or a former or present Chairperson of a District Panchayat.
- Families where any member is a serving or retired officer or employee of Central/State Government offices, PSEs, autonomous institutions under Government, or a regular employee of a Local Body. Multi Tasking Staff/Class IV/Group D employees are not excluded on this ground.
- Families where any member is a retired pensioner of these categories drawing a monthly pension of ₹10,000 or more (again excluding Multi Tasking Staff/Class IV/Group D).
- Families where any member paid income tax in the last assessment year.
- Families where any member is a registered, practising doctor, engineer, lawyer, chartered accountant or architect.
The State/UT Government is responsible for identifying eligible families. Giving an incorrect declaration can lead to recovery of the amount already transferred and penal action as per law.
Applying: Practical Points
Enrolment is done through a Common Service Centre, where the Village Level Entrepreneur (VLE) fills in the farmer's location, Aadhaar, bank and land details (Survey/Khata No., Khasra No. and land area), uploads the land papers, Aadhaar and bank passbook, records the self-declaration and completes payment through the CSC ID. The date of birth is entered exactly as printed on the Aadhaar card, because it is used for authentication. Afterwards, the beneficiary status can be checked using the Aadhaar number. The official PM-KISAN website also offers a Know Your Registration facility and a note on e-KYC modes.