Maarg Manthan · Topic 20.5

PM-KISAN Portal

Current Affairs & Government Schemes › Government Portals, Apps and Digital Platforms · Topic 20.5

The PM-KISAN Portal at pmkisan.gov.in is the online system of the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi, a Central Sector scheme of the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare launched on 24 February 2019 that gives eligible landholding farmer families Rs 6,000 a year in three equal instalments of Rs 2,000, paid by direct benefit transfer to bank accounts. It started with small and marginal farmers and was extended to all landholding farmers in 2019. It is fully funded by the Centre. The 22nd instalment was released on 13 March 2026 to about 9.32 crore farmer families, as reported, and e-KYC, Aadhaar-seeded bank accounts and land verification are required.

5 min read · UPSC Prelims · Current Affairs & Government Schemes · Government Portals, Apps and Digital Platforms

At a Glance

Launched 24 February 2019
Ministry Agriculture and Farmers Welfare
Type Central Sector scheme, 100 per cent central funding
Benefit Rs 6,000 a year in three instalments of Rs 2,000
Mode Direct benefit transfer
Exam link UPSC Prelims, Current Affairs and Government Schemes: Government Portals, Apps and Digital Platforms

Where Does It Fit?

The portal is the delivery and verification system for the world’s largest farmer income support scheme. It is linked to Aadhaar, land records and the Farmer ID of the agriculture digital stack, which makes it a good example of digital delivery of welfare. Previous topic: e-Shram Portal (Unorganised Workers Database). Next topic: National e-Governance Plan Payment mode Direct benefit transfer…">National Scholarship Portal.

Who Is Eligible and Who Is Excluded?

Aspect	Detail
Eligible	Landholding farmer families, defined as husband, wife and minor children, owning cultivable land in the records of the state
Benefit	Rs 6,000 per year in three equal instalments of Rs 2,000 every four months, April to July, August to November, and December to March
Transfer	Direct benefit transfer to the Aadhaar-seeded bank account
Exclusion: institutions	Institutional landholders
Exclusion: office holders	Holders of constitutional posts, serving or retired officers and employees of Governments, except multi-tasking staff and Group D, and former and present ministers, MPs, MLAs and mayors
Exclusion: income and professions	Income tax payers in the last assessment year, pensioners with monthly pension of Rs 10,000 or more, and registered professionals such as doctors, engineers and lawyers

How Does the Portal and Scheme Work?

Evolution: announced in the Interim Budget of 1 February 2019 with effect from 1 December 2018, it first covered farmers with up to 2 hectares and was extended to all landholding farmers in June 2019
Registration: farmers register through the portal, Common Service Centres or state nodal officers, and states verify land records
e-KYC: e-KYC through one-time password or face authentication is mandatory for payment
Farmer ID: a unique digital ID under the agriculture digital stack is being used to verify landholding and avoid duplicates, as reported
Responsibility: states identify beneficiaries and upload data, and the Centre releases funds to the accounts
Recent instalment: the 22nd instalment was released on 13 March 2026, with reports of about 9.32 crore beneficiary families and over Rs 18,000 crore disbursed in that round
Cumulative scale: the scheme has transferred lakhs of crores of rupees since 2019, as stated in Government releases
Portal features: farmers can check beneficiary status, correct Aadhaar details and update e-KYC

What Else Should You Remember?

Full form and alias: Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi, written PM-KISAN or PM Kisan, with the portal pmkisan.gov.in
Latest status: the scheme is continuing, and the 22nd instalment was released on 13 March 2026. A later instalment may have been released after that date, so check the official portal
Compare with state schemes: Odisha’s KALIA and Telangana’s earlier Rythu Bandhu are examples of state schemes. PM-KISAN is a national scheme with a fixed amount. The scheme page for it is listed as PM-KISAN (Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi) in the agriculture macro
Fiscal cost: the scheme costs more than Rs 60,000 crore a year, as stated in recent Union Budgets
Criticism: tenants: tenant farmers, sharecroppers and landless labourers are not covered, though they are among the poorest cultivators
Criticism: amount: the amount is not linked to inflation, and Rs 500 a month is small compared with the cost of cultivation
Criticism: women: women own less land, so fewer women receive benefit in their own name
Criticism: leakage: audits found ineligible beneficiaries, such as tax payers and deceased persons, which led to recoveries and clean-up of lists
Link to DBT: the scheme is a major use of direct benefit transfer, which reduces middlemen and delays
Link to rural digital platforms: data from the portal is used to plan farm services, and the scheme links with credit through the Kisan Credit Card

Why Does It Matter for the Exam?

Launch and ministry: 24 February 2019, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare
Type: Central Sector scheme, 100 per cent central funding
Amount: Rs 6,000 a year, three instalments of Rs 2,000
Exclusions: income tax payers, institutional holders, higher-income pensioners and professionals
Common errors: calling it a centrally sponsored scheme, or saying that tenant farmers are covered

As an analytical point, PM-KISAN is simple and reaches many farmers, but it is a flat transfer and not a fix for farm incomes. It leaves out tenants and landless workers, and it needs clean land records to be accurate.

Why Is This Topic Important?

Welfare Largest cash transfer to farmers
DBT Digital delivery
Facts Amount and exclusions

What Came Next?

The next topic covers the National Scholarship Portal. Next topic: National Scholarship Portal.

Key People and Terms

PM-KISAN Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi
DBT Direct benefit transfer
e-KYC Electronic know your customer
Farmer ID Digital ID for farmers
Central Sector scheme Fully funded by the Union
Landholding Cultivable land in the owner name

Exam Corner

Points to Remember

Launched 24 February 2019.
Rs 6,000 a year in three instalments.
Central Sector scheme.
e-KYC and Aadhaar seeding needed.
22nd instalment: 13 March 2026.

Do Not Confuse With

PM-KISAN and Kisan Credit Card Income support versus credit
Central Sector and centrally sponsored Fully central versus shared with states
PM-KISAN and state income support schemes National flat transfer versus state-designed schemes

Memory Hook

Six thousand a year, three parts to pay: land in your name, e-KYC all the way.

Mains Angle

Questions ask about the role and limits of income support to farmers. These points give a balanced frame.

Benefits Simple, direct, wide reach
Limits Tenants excluded, flat amount, leakages
Way forward Land record reform, tenant coverage, inflation link

A Question You May Face

An original practice question, not a past paper question.

“Evaluate PM-KISAN as an instrument of farmer income support and discuss how its design can be improved.”

How to Answer

Context Farm distress.
Scheme Amount and eligibility.
Gains Direct transfer and reach.
Limits Tenants and leakages.
Way Records and coverage.

GS Relevance

Prelims: launch, ministry, amount, funding, exclusions. GS Paper 3: agriculture subsidies, direct benefit transfer, farmer income. GS Paper 2: welfare schemes.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is PM-KISAN?

PM-KISAN, or Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi, is a Central Sector scheme launched on 24 February 2019 by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare. It gives landholding farmer families Rs 6,000 a year in three instalments of Rs 2,000 through direct benefit transfer, and it is fully funded by the Union Government.

Who can get PM-KISAN benefits?

Landholding farmer families, meaning husband, wife and minor children who own cultivable land in state records, can get the benefit. Institutional landholders, constitutional post holders, serving and retired officers, income tax payers, pensioners with Rs 10,000 or more a month and registered professionals are excluded. e-KYC and Aadhaar-seeded bank accounts are required.

Which ministry runs the PM-KISAN portal?

The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare runs the PM-KISAN portal at pmkisan.gov.in. States identify and verify beneficiaries and upload data, while the Centre releases funds directly to bank accounts. Farmers can check status, update e-KYC and correct Aadhaar details on the portal or through Common Service Centres.

How many instalments does PM-KISAN pay each year?

PM-KISAN pays three equal instalments of Rs 2,000 each year, one in every four-month period: April to July, August to November and December to March. The total is Rs 6,000 a year. The money is sent by direct benefit transfer to the Aadhaar-seeded bank account of each eligible farmer family.

What is the latest status of PM-KISAN?

The scheme is continuing. The 22nd instalment was released on 13 March 2026, with about 9.32 crore farmer families and over Rs 18,000 crore reported for that round. A later instalment may have followed, so the latest release should be checked on pmkisan.gov.in or in a Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare announcement.

PYQ Practice — Statement Analysis

1 PM-KISAN was launched in February 2019.

True

The launch was on 24 February 2019.

2 PM-KISAN is a centrally sponsored scheme.

False

It is a Central Sector scheme.

3 Income tax payers are excluded from PM-KISAN.