News: Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently released the 20th installment of the PM-Kisan scheme from Banauli in Varanasi during his visit to the city.
About Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) scheme
- The Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) is a Central Sector Scheme launched by the Government of India to provide income support to landholding farmer families.
- Launched: The scheme was officially launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 24, 2019, and it came into effect from December 1, 2018.
- Objective: To supplement the financial needs of farmers in procuring inputs for agriculture and allied activities, as well as to support domestic needs.
- Features: Under the scheme, each eligible farmer family receives ₹6,000 per year, which is paid in three equal installments of ₹2,000 every four months. The amount is directly transferred to the beneficiary’s bank account through the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) system.
- A farmer family under the PM-KISAN scheme is defined as a unit consisting of a husband, wife, and minor children who own cultivable land according to the land records maintained by the respective State or Union Territory.
- Initially, the scheme was limited to small and marginal farmers who owned up to 2 hectares of cultivable land.
- However, from June 1, 2019, the scheme was extended to include all landholding farmer families regardless of the size of their landholdings. To be eligible, the land must be in the name of the applicant.
