Centre disbursed ₹2.24 lakh crore to 11.5 crore farmers under its scheme: Govt

The government on Friday told Parliament that ₹2.24 lakh crore has gone directly into the accounts of 11.5 crore farmers across the country under the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi.

In a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha, Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said, “The government has disbursed over ₹2.24 lakh crore to Indian Farmers and their families. Of this amount, more than ₹1.7 lakh crore have been transferred since the lockdown due to Covid Pandemic and this helped the farmers of the country to manage their day-to-day expenses.”

“The funds disbursed under the initiative have acted as a catalyst in rural economic growth, aided in alleviating the credit constraints for farmers, and increased investments in agricultural inputs. The scheme has enhanced farmers’ risk-taking capacity, leading them to undertake riskier but comparatively productive investments,” he added.

Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN), one of the largest Central Sector Schemes, is being implemented to supplement financial needs of land holding farmers of the country subject to certain exclusion criteria related to higher economic status. Under the scheme, financial benefit of ₹6000/- per year, in three equal installments, is transferred into the bank accounts of farmers.

As per the Operational Guidelines of the Scheme, the States/UTs identify and verify the eligible farmers before uploading the data on PM-KISAN Portal. The benefits are transferred to the beneficiaries through Direct Benefit Transfer mode after validation of data uploaded by States / UTs on the PM-KISAN Portal.

PM-KISAN Scheme was launched in February 2019, leaving less than two months in FY 2018-19. Based on the verified data received from respective State/UT Governments, the Union government was able to transfer benefits to more than 3 crore beneficiaries. The number of farmers benefitted has increased manifold in the subsequent financial years.

The Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) Scheme is being implemented with a view to provide income support to all landholding Farmers’ families across the country to enable them to take care of expenses related to agriculture and allied activities as well as domestic needs.

PM KISAN is a major shift in the nature of direct support by government to the farmers of the country. A farmer-centric digital infrastructure has ensured the benefits of the scheme reach all the farmers across the country without any involvement of the middlemen.

“According to a study conducted by IFPRI, (International Food and Policy Research Institute), the funds received by recipients under PM KISAN are not only helping them with their agricultural needs, but it is also catering to their other expenses such as education, medical, marriage, etc. These are the indicators of the positive impact of the scheme on the farmers of the country. There are no implementation challenges faced in the Scheme,” the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare said.