PM-KISAN
Pays eligible farmer families Rs 6,000 a year in three instalments.
Written by Pratidin; every fact checked by a separate review before publishing. How we work
Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, paid by direct benefit transfer.
Quick recall
- How much does PM-KISAN pay?
- ₹6,000 a year per farmer family.
- How is it paid?
- Three instalments of ₹2,000 by direct benefit transfer.
- What type of scheme is it?
- Central Sector Scheme.
- Who is excluded?
- Income taxpayers, certain officials and professionals, and institutional landholders.
- Are tenant farmers covered?
- No; eligibility is based on land records.
- Which State scheme inspired it?
- Telangana's Rythu Bandhu and Odisha's KALIA.
Asked before in UPSC
Recurring theme: Farm income support, agricultural subsidies and DBT
PM-KISAN sits alongside input subsidies and MSP; classify it under the Agreement on Agriculture boxes.
PM-KISAN is a direct income transfer; discuss whether decoupled payments fit the WTO Green Box.
PM-KISAN is among the largest DBT schemes; land-record based eligibility and exclusion of tenants show DBT's limits.
Farming has lost the ability to be a source of subsistence for majority of farmers in India.
Income support such as PM-KISAN is a policy response to low and volatile farm incomes of small and marginal holders.
PM-KISAN illustrates the shift from price and input subsidies to direct cash support for farmers.
The basics
Why it matters
PM-KISAN gives landholding farmer families ₹6,000 a year in three instalments directly into their bank accounts. It is a Central Sector Scheme launched in 2019.
Who gets it
Eligibility rests on land records.
- Landholding farmer families
- Identified through land records
- Income taxpayers
- Serving and retired officials above set levels
- Institutional landholders
You now know
- Launched in February 2019 (effective from December 2018).
- ₹6,000 a year in three instalments of ₹2,000.
- Central Sector Scheme, fully funded by the Centre.
- Tenant farmers and landless labourers are not covered.
Go deeper
In one line: PM-KISAN is a direct cash transfer to landowning farmers.
Why it matters for UPSC
It represents the shift from subsidies to Direct benefit transfer.
The core idea
Cash lets farmers decide how to spend, with low leakage. But it misses Tenant farmers and landless workers, who are often the poorest.
Where to go next
- Direct benefit transfer: Cash sent straight to beneficiaries
- Tenant farmers: Cultivators without land titles
In one line: PM-KISAN is simple and efficient but not well targeted at the most vulnerable.
Strengths
Low leakage via Direct benefit transfer, quick delivery.
Weaknesses
Excludes Tenant farmers; the amount is small relative to farm costs; not linked to farm size.
Where to go next
- Direct benefit transfer: Cash sent straight to beneficiaries
- Tenant farmers: Cultivators without land titles
Direct benefit transfer
Cash sent straight to beneficiaries
In one line: DBT sends subsidies and benefits directly to beneficiaries' bank accounts.
Launch
1 January 2013.
Benefits
Fewer intermediaries and duplicate beneficiaries.
Where to go next
- Tenant farmers: Cultivators without land titles
Tenant farmers
Cultivators without land titles
In one line: Tenant farmers cultivate land they do not own, often without written contracts.
Problem
They miss land-linked benefits like PM-KISAN, crop insurance and credit.
Reform
NITI Aayog's Model Agricultural Land Leasing Act, 2016.
Where to go next
- Direct benefit transfer: Cash sent straight to beneficiaries
Prelims-style quiz
PM-KISAN provides annual income support of:
- ₹6,000
- ₹12,000
- ₹10,000
- ₹4,000
Show answer
Answer: (a) ₹6,000. ₹6,000.
Consider the following:
1. PM-KISAN is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme.
2. Tenant farmers are covered.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?- 1 only
- 2 only
- Both 1 and 2
- Neither 1 nor 2
Show answer
Answer: (d) Neither 1 nor 2. It is a Central Sector Scheme and tenants are not covered.
PM-KISAN instalments are of:
- ₹1,000
- ₹2,000
- ₹3,000
- ₹6,000
Show answer
Answer: (b) ₹2,000. Three instalments of ₹2,000.
Which is a State income support scheme for farmers?
- MGNREGA
- PMFBY
- eNAM
- Rythu Bandhu
Show answer
Answer: (d) Rythu Bandhu. Telangana's Rythu Bandhu.