The Indian government’s PM Kisan Samman Nidhi is a central sector program that offers financial assistance or additional support to landowning farmers. The Telangana government first introduced the PM-KISAN program as the Rythu Bandhu program, which distributed a certain amount of money to qualifying farmers directly.
Subsequently, on February 1, 2019, Piyush Goyal said during his budget speech that the launch of this programme was a national endeavour.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi first inaugurated the PM-KISAN initiative in Gorakhpur, a city in Uttar Pradesh, on February 24, 2019.
Those who qualify for this program will receive financial aid of Rs. 6000 per year in three instalments, i.e. 2000 per instalment, which will be transferred directly into their savings accounts through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT).
Goals of the Scheme:
PM Kisan is a Central sector scheme, i.e. 100% of funding comes from the central government. This program was put in place to aid and support as many small and marginal farmers as possible by increasing their sources of income.
The following is a list of the PM-KISAN scheme’s primary goals:
First, to offer financial assistance to all qualified landowning farmers and their families. PM-KISAN also strives to complement farmers’ financial requirements to ensure excellent crop health and sufficient yields, which are in accordance with expected farm revenues.
Around 15 crore individuals are anticipated to receive expanded PM-KISAN coverage due to the program.
With an estimated cost of Rs. 80,000 crores, which the Central Government would pay, it seeks to cover almost two crore, additional farmers.
Eligibility Criteria for the PM-KISAN Yojana
- All marginal and small farmers or cultivators are eligible for this scheme.
- Some of the beneficiary categories listed below are not eligible to acquire benefits under this program:
- Big landlords and Zamindars.
- The farmer and any family member fall under one of the following categories.
- Bearers of constitutional positions.
- Ministers, both past and present, and State Ministers
- Members of the Parliament, members of Legislative Assemblies, or Legislative Councils.
- Former and current municipality mayors.
- Nagar Panchayat Chairmen in past and current.
- Any officials, incumbent or retired, as well as staff members working for state or central Government departments or Institutes.
- All senior pensioners within the abovementioned group get retirement benefits of at least Rs. 10000 per month.
- Every individual who paid income tax in the recent financial year is disqualified from participating in this program.
- Professionals who are licensed and are currently practising their professions, such as engineers, doctors, lawyers, and architects.
Benefits of the PM-KISAN Program
The benefits and effects of the PM-KISAN programs are listed below:
- One of the significant benefits of this plan is the immediate transmission of cash.
- Using a computerized system, all official documents related to farmers are stored, making registering and transferring funds easier. A new beginning has been made possible for this assistance program through the use of digital records.
- A significant benefit of this program is that it alleviates farmers’ cash crunch problems.
- PM-KISAN Yojana is an important step forward in modernizing agriculture as part of the government’s plans.
- The beneficiaries of PM-KISAN recipients are made without prejudice.
