The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved the continuation of the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) scheme for the period 2026-27 to 2030-31, as reported by Business Standard. Information & Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw confirmed that the Cabinet has extended the PM-KISAN scheme for five years till 2030-31, with the total outlay standing at ₹3,15,614 crore. The extension comes with a substantial financial commitment of ₹3.15 trillion to continue supporting eligible farmer families through the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) mechanism. Since its launch in February 24, 2019, the scheme has emerged as a transparent and technology-driven model of farmer welfare through Aadhaar-based authentication, digital verification and the DBT mechanism. The government stated that the approval reiterates its commitment that the prosperity of farmers forms the foundation of the nation's prosperity.
The ₹3.15 trillion allocation represents a significant financial commitment to the agricultural sector, according to Business Standard. The scheme continues to provide direct financial support to eligible landholding farmer families through the established Direct Benefit Transfer mechanism. This substantial funding demonstrates the government's continued commitment to agricultural welfare and farmer support programs, with the scheme having transferred more than ₹4.47 lakh crore directly into farmers' bank accounts through 23 instalments since its launch. Under the scheme, each eligible farmer family receives annual financial assistance of ₹6,000, disbursed in three equal instalments of ₹2,000 through the Direct Benefit Transfer mechanism into Aadhaar-seeded bank accounts. The scheme operates on a 100% Central Government-funded model with no state contribution, ensuring uniform implementation nationwide and reducing fiscal federalism complexities.
In a significant development, the government has integrated the AgriStack registry of around 102.8 million farmers with various digital platforms, as confirmed by Minister of State for Agriculture Ramnath Thakur in a written reply to Parliament. The integration includes PM-KISAN, the Jan Samarth platform for Kisan Credit Card (KCC) loans, and MSP-based crop procurement systems to ensure effective service delivery to farmers, particularly small and marginal farmers. As of July 30, 2026, around 102.8 million Farmer IDs had been created against the total target of 110 million, including 24.6 million IDs in Uttar Pradesh alone. The AgriStack initiative provides a comprehensive profile of every farmer, including farmer details, land records, crops grown, and assets such as livestock and fisheries. The Farmer Registry is designed as a foundational database built in a federated manner, with data ownership resting with respective states, while maintaining complete privacy through compliance with the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 and Digital Personal Data Protection Rules, 2025.
The PM-KISAN scheme maintains its ₹6,000 annual benefit distributed across three equal instalments of ₹2,000 each, as reported by Business Standard. The scheme specifically targets eligible landholding farmer families, ensuring direct financial support reaches those who need it most. Under the 23rd instalment, over 9.49 crore farmers received financial assistance amounting to more than ₹18,984 crore. Women beneficiaries have received more than ₹1.06 lakh crore under the scheme, with nearly one in every four beneficiaries being a woman farmer. The government noted that the financial assistance has enabled farmers to make timely investments in seeds, fertilisers, irrigation, farm machinery and other agricultural inputs. The scheme excludes high-income taxpayers, institutional landholders, and retired pensioners with monthly pension exceeding ₹10,000, ensuring targeted support for genuine farming families.
According to findings from an evaluation conducted by the Development Monitoring and Evaluation Office (DMEO) of NITI Aayog, more than 92 per cent of beneficiaries used the assistance for agricultural activities and farm investments. Around 85 per cent reported an improvement in agricultural income and reduced dependence on informal credit. The government noted that the financial assistance has enabled farmers to make timely investments in seeds, fertilisers, irrigation, farm machinery and other agricultural requirements. The extension of the scheme will enhance farmers' capacity to invest in agriculture, improve productivity, help reduce agricultural risks and strengthen the rural economy, as stated by the government.
