Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) is a Central Sector Scheme launched in 2019 to provide direct income support to eligible farmer families.
Under the scheme, eligible landholding farmer families receive ₹6,000 per year in three equal instalments of ₹2,000 each. The amount is transferred directly into farmers’ bank accounts through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT).
The latest major update is the release of the 23rd instalment of PM-KISAN.
On 20 June 2026, the Prime Minister released the 23rd instalment from Tarakeswar, Hooghly, West Bengal. Under this instalment, around ₹18,880 crore was transferred through DBT to 9.44 crore farmers, including more than 2.18 crore women farmers.
With this release, total assistance under PM-KISAN since launch has crossed ₹4.46 lakh crore. The government also described PM-KISAN as one of the world’s largest DBT initiatives.
Scheme Features
PM-KISAN provides income support to all eligible landholding farmer families.
The definition of family includes:
- husband
- wife
- minor children
The scheme is fully funded by the Government of India, meaning it is a 100% Central Sector Scheme. The official PM-KISAN portal states that the scheme became operational from 1 December 2018 and provides ₹6,000 per year in three equal instalments to eligible landholding farmer families.
The identification of eligible farmer families is done by State Governments and Union Territory administrations, as land records are maintained by states.
Eligibility
The scheme covers landholding farmer families who have cultivable land in their names, subject to exclusion criteria.
Originally, PM-KISAN was meant for small and marginal farmers, but it was later expanded to cover all landholding farmer families, except those falling under exclusion categories.
The benefit is linked with:
- landholding records
- Aadhaar
- bank account
- DBT system
- e-KYC compliance
Exclusion Categories
Some categories are excluded even if they own agricultural land.
The excluded categories include institutional landholders and farmer families where one or more members belong to higher-income or government-linked categories.
Common exclusions include:
- serving or retired constitutional post holders
- serving or retired officers and employees of Central or State Government
- serving or retired employees of PSUs and government autonomous bodies
- income tax payers
- professionals such as doctors, engineers, lawyers, chartered accountants and architects registered with professional bodies
- former and present ministers, MPs, MLAs, MLCs, mayors and district panchayat chairpersons
- pensioners receiving monthly pension of ₹10,000 or more, except certain lower-grade employees
This exclusion system is meant to ensure that support reaches ordinary farming households rather than economically better-off landholders.
e-KYC and Aadhaar Linkage
e-KYC is mandatory for PM-KISAN beneficiaries. The official PM-KISAN portal clearly displays that e-KYC is mandatory for the scheme.
Farmers can complete e-KYC through:
- OTP-based Aadhaar authentication on the PM-KISAN portal
- biometric authentication at Common Service Centres
- face authentication through the PM-KISAN mobile app
The government has also promoted face authentication for PM-KISAN. PIB has stated that PM-KISAN transfers ₹6,000 annually in three instalments directly into Aadhaar-seeded bank accounts.
Significance
PM-KISAN is important because it provides assured income support to farmers, especially small and marginal farmers.
Its importance lies in:
- supplementing farm household income
- supporting purchase of seeds, fertilisers and inputs
- reducing dependence on informal credit for small expenses
- improving transparency through DBT
- reducing leakages and middlemen
- providing predictable cash support before crop seasons
The scheme does not replace structural agricultural reforms, but it gives farmers a basic income cushion.
Concerns
The main concern is that ₹6,000 per year is a limited amount compared to rising cultivation costs, fertiliser prices, diesel costs, labour charges and climate-related crop risks.
Another issue is exclusion due to land records. Tenant farmers, sharecroppers and landless agricultural labourers often do not benefit because the scheme is linked to land ownership.
Other concerns include:
- delays due to Aadhaar or bank-account mismatch
- incomplete e-KYC
- outdated land records
- exclusion of tenant farmers
- recovery from ineligible beneficiaries
- uneven state-level verification
- limited impact on long-term farm income
PM-KISAN is useful as income support, but it cannot alone solve deeper problems such as low farm productivity, price volatility, fragmented landholdings, irrigation gaps and climate shocks.
Conclusion
PM-KISAN is a Central Sector income-support scheme providing ₹6,000 per year to eligible landholding farmer families through DBT.
The latest 23rd instalment was released on 20 June 2026, transferring around ₹18,880 crore to 9.44 crore farmers, including more than 2.18 crore women farmers. Total transfers since launch have crossed ₹4.46 lakh crore.
