The number of PM-Kisan beneficiaries will decrease by 14% in FY24.

The Indian government informed Parliament on Tuesday that the number of beneficiaries of its flagship Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) scheme, PM-Kisan, fell by 14 percent to 9.21 billion in 2023-24 from 10.73 million last year. If the final number of beneficiaries is approximately 9.5 million, the annual cost at the current expenditure rate of ₹ 6,000 per year could be approximately ₹ 57,000. Under PM-Kisan, the government has allocated ₹60,000 crore for 25 financial years.

Asked if the government plans to increase the PM Kisan scheme for farmers by ₹6,000/₹8,000/₹12,000 per year, Agriculture Minister Arjun Munda said, “The proposal is not under consideration.” According to the latest agricultural survey, as many as 86 percent of approximately 14 million land owners have less than 5 hectares of land. The minister said in the Lok Sabha that the farmer-centric digital infrastructure has ensured that the benefits of the scheme reach all farmers across the country without involving middlemen. “The Government of India has maintained absolute transparency in registration and monitoring of beneficiaries and has so far disbursed over ₹ 2.81 crore to over 11 million farmers in 15 batches.

Weed out the ineligible

According to information presented to parliament, Punjab is one of the main agricultural producing states with the maximum number of beneficiaries falling to 9.34 million in 2023-24, while Maharash saw a decrease of 11.5 percent. 92.5 million benefiting farmers last year. The largest state, Uttar Pradesh, saw a drop of 16.5 percent to 2.03 million.

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