On February 24 2025, Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi released the 19th installment of the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) scheme in Bhagalpur, Bihar.
- With the release of the 19th installment, more than 9.8 crore farmers including 2.41 crore female farmers across the country are estimated to benefit from the scheme and will receive the direct financial assistance exceeding Rs 22, 000 crore through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT).
- The release of the latest installment, reaffirmed the Government of India (GoI)’s commitment to rural development and agricultural prosperity.
About Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) :
i.It is a Central Sector Scheme (CSS) launched in 2019 and is being implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare (MoA&FW).
ii.The primary objective of the scheme is to augment the income of Small and Marginal Farmers (SMFs).
- It also aims to supplement the financial requirements of the SMFs in procuring various inputs to ensure proper crop health and appropriate yields, commensurate with the estimated farmer income at the end of each crop cycle.
iii.Under this scheme, the GoI will provide financial assistance of Rs 6,000 per annum to farmer families in 3 equal installments of Rs 2,000 each.
- Each installment is transferred after every 4 months into the Aadhar-linked bank accounts of eligible farmers through DBT.
iv.In February 2025, Ministry of Finance (MoF) allocated Rs 63,500 crore for the scheme in the Union Budget for Financial Year 2025-26 (FY26) which is same as estimated for FY25.
Technological Advancements:
i.PM-KISAN application(app): It was launched on February 24 2020, with the objective of making scheme more efficient, effective, and transparent.
- In 2023, new ‘face authentication feature’ was added into the app, which enabled remote farmers to do electronic-Know Your Customer (e-KYC) by scanning their face without any One Time Password (OTP) or finger print.
ii.Integration of PM-KISAN portal with various portals: The web portal has been integrated with portals of various public organisations such as: Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), Public Financial Management System (PFMS), National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) and the Income Tax (IT)Department.
iii.PM-KISAN AI Chatbot: It is an Artificial Intelligence (AI) Chatbot launched in 2023, designed specifically for the PM-KISAN scheme, thus, becoming the 1st AI chatbot which has been integrated with a major flagship scheme of GoI.
- The AI chatbot is accessible through the PM-KISAN mobile app, which is integrated with Bhashini. It provides instant query resolution in local languages regarding payments, registration, and eligibility.
- It has been developed and enhanced with the support of Bengaluru (Karnataka)-based EkStep Foundation and Bhashini.
iv.Update of Mobile Number with Aadhaar cards: The Department of Posts (DoP), Ministry of Communications(MoC) provides the facility of linking or updating mobile number with Aadhaar cards of eligible farmer beneficiaries of scheme. Also, beneficiaries can complete their e-KYC through Indian Post Payment Bank (IPPB).
Key Achievements of PM-KISAN:
i.So far, the GoI has disbursed more than Rs 3.46 lakh crore in 18 installments.
- The 18th installment of PM-KISAN scheme was released by PM Narendra on October 5, 2024 in Washim, Maharashtra. During this event, over 9.4 crore farmers nationwide received direct financial benefits, amounting to over Rs 20,000 crore.
ii.Over 1 crore eligible farmers were added to the scheme through a significant saturation drive launched in November 2023, under the ‘Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra’.
- An additional 25 lakh farmers were included in the scheme within the 1st 100 days of the subsequent government in June 2024 due to which the number of beneficiaries receiving the 18th installment increased to nearly 9.60 crore.
iii.Among all Indian states/Union Territories(UTs), Uttar Pradesh (UP) had the highest number of beneficiaries at 2,25,78,654 during the 18th installment (August 2024-November 2024), followed by Bihar with 75,81,009.
iv.More than 5 lakh Common Service Centres (CSCs) have been onboarded to facilitate the registrations for the scheme and meet mandatory requirements.
- Also, GoI has also extended the facility for completing the e-KYC process for farmers and each official is allowed to do e-KYC for 500 farmers.
About Bihar:
Chief Minister (CM)- Nitish Kumar
Governor- Arif Mohammed Khan
Capital- Patna
National Park (NP)- Valmiki National Park
