09-03-2021 | 12:33 PM
PM Kisan scheme
Context
On 24 February, the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) completed two years.
About PM Kisan scheme
Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi is a central sector scheme under the government of India which provides income support to the farmers and their families across the country, to enable them to take care of expenses related to agriculture and allied activities as well as domestic needs.
The PM-KISAN scheme was first implemented as the Rythu Bandhu scheme by the Government of Telangana where a certain amount was handed directly to the eligible farmers. Later, on 1 February 2019, during the 2019 Interim Union Budget of India, Piyush Goyal announced the implementation of this scheme as a nationwide project.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the PM-KISAN scheme on 24 February 2019 in Gorakhpur, UP.
The PM-KISAN Yojana administered by the Department of Agriculture, Cooperation & Farmers Welfare, Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare, Government of India in partnership with the Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC)
Under the Scheme an amount of Rs 6000 per year is transferred in three 4-monthly instalments of Rs 2000 directly into the bank accounts of the farmers, subject to certain exclusion criteria relating to higher income status.
The Scheme initially provided income support to all Small and Marginal Farmers’ families across the country, holding cultivable land up to 2 hectares. Its ambit was later expanded with effect from June 01, 2019 to cover all farmer families in the country irrespective of the size of their land holdings.
The main objectives of the PM-KISAN scheme are mentioned below:
To provide income support to all eligible land-holding farmers and their families.
PM-KISAN scheme also aims to supplement the financial needs of the farmers in procuring various inputs to ensure proper crop health and appropriate yields, commensurate with the anticipated farm income.
Significance of the scheme
The direct transfer of funds is one of the biggest advantages of this scheme.
All the records related to farmers are registered officially on a digital platform which has made the registration and fund transfer easy. The digitised records have brought about a new start to this welfare scheme
This scheme eases liquidity constraints of farmers
PM-KISAN yojana is a big step towards the Government’s initiatives of modernisation of agriculture
There is no discrimination in choosing the PM-KISAN beneficiaries
