Centre notifies extension of benefits of PM-Kisan scheme to all 14.5 crore farmers

Keeping in mind their post-poll agenda and manifesto promises, the Centre has notified a decision to extend the benefits of PM Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana Scheme to 14.5 crore farmers on Saturday.

The benefit of Rs 6,000 per year will apply all land holding eligible farmer families, irrespective of their land holdings in the country. The decision was taken in regard in the first Cabinet meeting of the revised NDA government on 31st May. The BJP in its manifesto had promised that farmers across the country will benefit from the scheme.

The Union Agriculture Ministry has therefore asked all state governments for the identification of all beneficiaries which subject to the “existing exclusion factors”.

The ones excluded from the PM’s Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana Scheme are institutional landholders, farmer families with constitutional posts, serving or retired officers and employees of state and the central government as well as PSUs and government autonomous bodies. Doctors, engineers and lawyers, retired pensioners with Rs 10,000 along with those who paid income tax in 2018 are the ones who are excluded from the scheme.

The PM Kisan Samman Nidhi is a major Rs 75,000 crore scheme which was announced by Piyush Goyal in the 2019 interim budget on 1st February. Under this scheme, the government announced that all farmers who are subjected to receiving the benefits of the scheme will be provided Rs 6,000 per year in three equal installments which will aid and bring relief to farmers across the nation. Around 12.5 crore small and marginal farmers who own lands upto 2 hectares are beneficiaries of the announced scheme. The scheme was first launched in Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh. It started off with the government transferring Rs 2,000 in the beneficiary accounts.

The revision of the scheme is said to benefit over two crore, additional farmers. The renewed expenditure amounts to Rs 87,217.50 crore in the 2019-20 fiscal. However, the government has decided to follow the standard existing land ownership system to identify the new beneficiaries. The amount will be transferred once the scheme portal is loaded with family details. The responsibility for data uploading is given to given to the state governments.

The ministry in its statement said:

"All the state/UT governments are, therefore, requested to expedite 100 per cent enlistment of eligible beneficiaries as per the revised scheme so that farmers are able to avail the benefits of the scheme,"

As of now, there are over 3.66 crore beneficiaries among which 3.03 crore have received the first installment of Rs 2,000. Another two crore farmers have received the second installment.