PM-KISAN: Income Support and Agricultural Welfare
TOPIC CLASSIFICATION
Subject: Governance | Topic: Agriculture Welfare Schemes Sub-topic: PM-KISAN, Direct Income Support, DBT in Agriculture Prelims Focus: Scheme details - launch year, financial outlay, beneficiary criteria, nodal ministry Mains Focus: Impact on farmer incomes, shortcomings, interlinkage with MSP and PM-AASHA
EXAMINER REASONING
PM-KISAN (Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi) is a flagship direct income support scheme for farmers. UPSC tests its design features in Prelims and evaluative aspects in Mains - whether income support is more effective than price support (MSP), fiscal sustainability, and its role in agricultural distress mitigation.
Core Concept
PM-KISAN was launched in February 2019 by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare. It provides income support of ₹6,000 per year to all landholder farmer families, paid in three equal instalments of ₹2,000 every four months via Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT).
Eligibility Criteria
| Criteria | Details |
|---|---|
| Beneficiary | Landholding farmer families (individual + family) |
| Land type | Cultivable land owned by the farmer |
| Exclusion | Income tax payers, constitutional office holders, government employees (current/retired with pension >₹10k) |
| Nodal Ministry | Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare |
| Launch | February 2019... |
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