The Union Cabinet on Friday approved the continuation of the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) scheme for another five years, allocating a financial outlay of Rs 3.15 lakh crore. The decision, taken at a Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, ensures that eligible landholding farmer families will continue to receive Rs 6,000 annually through the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) system from 2026-27 to 2030-31. Introduced in February 2019, PM-KISAN remains one of the Centre's flagship income support programmes for farmers.

Under the scheme, eligible farmers receive Rs 6,000 every year in three equal instalments, with payments transferred directly into their bank accounts using Aadhaar-based authentication and digital verification. The government said the continued financial assistance is intended to help farmers meet agricultural expenses, including the purchase of seeds, fertilisers, irrigation equipment and farm machinery. It also aims to reduce dependence on informal sources of credit while providing predictable income support for farming households.

Since its launch, PM-KISAN has transferred more than Rs 4.47 lakh crore directly to beneficiaries through 23 instalments. Under the latest instalment, over 9.49 crore farmers received a combined Rs 18,984 crore. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the government disbursed more than Rs 1.71 lakh crore under the scheme to provide timely financial relief to the farming community. Women farmers have also emerged as significant beneficiaries, collectively receiving more than Rs 1.06 lakh crore, with nearly one in four recipients being women.

Also Read: Lok Sabha Approves Bill Criminalising Insults To Vande Mataram

The government cited an evaluation by the Development Monitoring and Evaluation Office (DMEO) under NITI Aayog, which found that the scheme has contributed positively to agricultural investment and farm incomes. According to the assessment, more than 92% of beneficiaries used the financial assistance for farming-related activities, while around 85% reported higher agricultural income and reduced reliance on informal borrowing. The government also highlighted that between 2020-21 and 2025-26, the area under foodgrain cultivation increased by about 9.65%, productivity rose by 10.53%, and overall foodgrain production grew by 21.18%.

The Centre said PM-KISAN has become a key example of the effective use of Digital India initiatives through Aadhaar authentication, digital beneficiary verification and the DBT framework, ensuring transparent and timely fund transfers. With the scheme now extended until 2030-31, the government said it will continue to provide assured income support to crores of farmer families, encourage greater investment in agriculture, strengthen the rural economy and advance its broader objective of enhancing farmers' incomes while supporting India's long-term development goals.

Also Read: Union Bank Of India Board Approves ₹19,000 Crore Debt Fundraising