DWINDLING PM-KISAN BENEFICIARIES

Why in the News?

  • PM-KISAN beneficiaries have dropped over 20% from 10.47 crore in April-July 2022 to 8.12 crore.
  • The government launched a “saturation drive” on November 15 to address this decline.
Source: The Hindu

About Data from Parliamentary reply:

  • In the latest round on November 15, 8.12 crore farmers received Rs 2,000, and an additional 34 lakh farmers were added through the saturation drive.
  • Uttar Pradesh leads with 8.50 lakh added beneficiaries, followed by Rajasthan, Manipur, Jharkhand, and Maharashtra.

About PM-KISAN:

  • PM KISAN is a Central Sector Scheme with 100% funding from the Government of India.
  • Launched in February 2019 under this scheme Rs 6,000 are transferred annually to landholding farmers in three equal instalments directly to their bank accounts. 
  • Objectives:
  • Supplement financial needs of Small and Marginal Farmers for inputs, ensuring proper crop health and yields.
  • Prevent farmers from relying on moneylenders, promoting their continued engagement in farming.
  • Implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.
  • State/UT Governments are responsible for identifying beneficiary farmer families.
  • PM-KISAN Mobile App:
  • Developed by the National Informatics Centre in collaboration with the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.
  • Allows farmers to check application status, update Aadhaar cards, and review credit history in their bank accounts.