Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN)
Why it matters?
The 20th instalment of PM-KISAN will transfer ₹20,500 crore to 9.7 crore farmers via DBT, reinforcing the government's commitment to farmer welfare.
What you should know?
PM-KISAN is a Central Sector Scheme launched in February 2019.
It provides ₹6,000 per year to eligible landholding farmers, in three equal instalments.
The scheme targets Small and Marginal Farmers (SMFs) owning less than 2 hectares of land.
The amount is transferred directly to Aadhaar-linked bank accounts via Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT).
The PM-KISAN mobile app, launched in 2020, includes features like benefit tracking, self-registration, and face authentication.
A facial recognition-based e-KYC feature was added in 2023 for remote accessibility.
Uttar Pradesh had the highest beneficiaries (2.25 crore) in the 18th instalment, followed by Bihar (75.8 lakh).