Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana

The Finance Minister has announced a Farmer Income Support Scheme known as the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana. Initially presented in the interim budget of 2019, the scheme aims to provide financial assistance of Rs. 6,000 annually to all small and marginal farmers owning cultivable land. Alongside, several other initiatives benefiting various community segments were introduced. This article provides a comprehensive overview of the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana.

Definition of Small and Marginal Farmers

A small and marginal landholder farmer family typically consists of a husband, wife, and minor children, possessing cultivable land up to 2 hectares as per the land records of the relevant State and Union Territory. The existing land-ownership system plays a crucial role in identifying beneficiaries and calculating benefits.

Objective of the Scheme

The primary goal of this scheme is to provide income support to farmers and help them purchase essential inputs needed during sowing seasons. This initiative targets small and marginal farmers across the nation, ensuring they have the resources necessary for productive farming.

Scheme Highlights

Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana strives to ensure a dignified livelihood for farmers, offering crucial income support.
The scheme is designed to provide Rs. 6,000 annually to families owning up to 2 hectares of land, distributed in three equal installments.
The Central Government funds the scheme, with transactions conducted directly into the farmers' bank accounts to prevent corruption.
This initiative aims to support nearly 12 crore small and marginal farmers nationwide.
The first installment was set to be distributed by March 31, 2019, ensuring timely financial support.
It entails an annual expenditure of Rs. 75,000 crore by the Indian Government.
The scheme alleviates emerging needs, particularly before crop seasons, although it does not provide supplemental income to distressed farmers.

Implementation Strategy

The responsibility for identifying eligible landholder farmer families lies with the State/Union Territory Government. They are tasked with compiling databases of qualified beneficiaries in the villages by collecting necessary details like Name, Age, Gender and Category (SC/ST), Aadhaar number, and alternate identification documents such as driving license or voters' ID. This ensures transparency and accuracy in benefit distribution. While the mobile number is not mandatory, providing it allows for communication regarding the sanction or transfer of benefits, enhancing efficiency in implementation.

Benefits of the Scheme

Under this scheme, qualifying landholder farmer families across the nation benefit from a consistent financial infusion, improving their livelihood.

Qualifying families with up to 2 hectares of cultivable land receive Rs. 6,000 annually, which is distributed in three equal installments over four months.
Eligible beneficiaries receive their first installment covering the period from December 1, 2018, to March 31, 2019.

Eligibility Requirements

Farmers meeting the following criteria are eligible to apply:

The scheme is centrally sponsored; hence, only citizens of India may apply.
It targets small and marginal agricultural labourers exclusively.
Farmers with land holdings exceeding 2 acres are excluded from receiving benefits.

The following categories of high economic status beneficiaries are ineligible:

All institutional landholders.
Farmer families with members who hold or have held certain authoritative positions, including government officials with a pension exceeding Rs. 10,000, individuals who paid Income Tax in the previous assessment year, and professionals like Doctors and Chartered Accountants engaged in practice.

Documentation Requirements

The following documents are required for application:

Citizenship certificate
Landholding papers
Aadhaar card (must be presented during fund disbursement)

Application Procedure

While the Central Government is actively developing the application process, no official procedure has yet been released. Further details will be made available on the Government Portal once confirmed, enabling citizens to apply.

Review, Monitoring, and Grievance Redressal Mechanism

A stratified review and monitoring mechanism is in place at national, state, and district levels to oversee effective implementation and address grievances promptly. The National Level Review Committee is headed by the Cabinet Secretary, while corresponding committees operate at the state and district levels.

PM Kisan Portal

The PM Kisan Portal enriches the scheme by maintaining an organized database of beneficiaries for seamless transaction monitoring and integration with the Public Financial Management System. Here's how it works:

Maintains a verified source of truth for beneficiary details.
Enables efficient farm operation assistance via cash benefit transfers.
Offers location-wise lists of benefited farmers.
Allows for comprehensive national fund transaction monitoring.

States and Union Territories must finalize eligible beneficiary lists by February 25, 2019, for benefit transfers by March.

Validity and Continuous Updating

The beneficiary list prepared for the first installment remains valid for one year but is subject to updates following changes in land records. Beneficiaries must be identified accurately, ensuring transparent succession-based benefit transfers.

For more on documentation and registration, explore our guide on ITR-1 Form Sahaj AY2018-19, or understand more about growth and local governance with articles on Partnership Firm Registration in Karnataka. For those engaged in agriculture-related business loans, here's how to access Unsecured Business Loans. Ensure compliance with bidirectional policy developments such as the Form 41 amendment procedures. Moreover, stay informed on rural welfare with initiatives like the National Rural Drinking Water Programme. You can find specific regional information pertinent to financial transactions, like securing a Udyam Registration in Telangana.

Back to Learn

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana 2019.

The Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana is a Farmer Income Support Scheme announced by the Indian Government in the interim budget 2019. Under this scheme, small and marginal landholder farmers with cultivable land up to 2 hectares will receive financial assistance of Rs. 6,000 every year.

Small and marginal landholder farmer families with a total cultivable holding up to 2 hectares are eligible for this scheme. However, certain categories of high economic status individuals, such as former and present constitutional post holders, ministers, MPs, and income tax payers, are excluded from the scheme.

The financial assistance of Rs. 6,000 per annum will be disbursed in three equal instalments of Rs. 2,000 every four months. The first instalment for the period from 01.12.2018 to 31.03.2019 was paid by March 31st, 2019.

The fundamental objective of this scheme is to provide income support to small and marginal farmers and assist them in purchasing various inputs required during the sowing seasons.

The responsibility to identify eligible landholder farmer families lies with the respective State/Union Territory Governments. They will prepare databases of beneficiaries based on details like name, age, gender, category, Aadhaar number, bank account details, etc.

The mandatory documents required are citizenship certificate, landholding papers, and Aadhaar card. Photocopies of Aadhaar cards have to be furnished when the beneficiary receives the fund instalments.

There is a stratified review/monitoring mechanism at the National, State, and District levels. Review committees and grievance redressal committees have been set up at these levels to monitor the implementation and address any grievances related to the scheme.

The PM Kisan Portal is a unified e-platform launched to assist in benefit transfer under this scheme. States/Union Territories will upload the details of eligible beneficiaries on this portal for seamless transfer of cash benefits into their bank accounts.

The list of beneficiaries prepared by the States and Union Territories for transferring the first instalment will be valid for one year. However, new eligible beneficiaries can be added subsequently.

The Indian Government has allocated an annual expenditure of Rs. 75,000 Crores for the implementation of this scheme to benefit around 12 Crore small and marginal farmers across the country.