PM-KISAN: How 2.2 Crore UP Farmers Receive Direct Income Support

The Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi, popularly known as PM-KISAN, was launched in 2019 with Uttar Pradesh as its starting point. Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the scheme from Gorakhpur on February 24, 2019, with the aim of providing direct financial assistance to eligible landholding farmer families.

Seven years after its launch, Uttar Pradesh continues to have the largest number of PM-KISAN beneficiaries in the country. In the 23rd instalment released on June 20, 2026, more than 2.2 crore farmers in Uttar Pradesh received a combined Rs 4,352 crore.

At the national level, the 23rd instalment transferred more than Rs 18,880 crore to approximately 9.44 crore farmers. Since PM-KISAN was introduced, the government says more than Rs 4.46 lakh crore has been distributed under the scheme.

PM-KISAN is a Central Sector Scheme funded entirely by the Government of India. Eligible landholding farmer families receive financial support of Rs 6,000 each year, distributed through three equal instalments of Rs 2,000.

The assistance is deposited directly into farmers' bank accounts through the Direct Benefit Transfer system. To receive the payments, beneficiaries must satisfy the scheme's eligibility conditions, including having their land records seeded on the PM-KISAN portal, linking their bank account with Aadhaar and completing e-KYC verification.

The financial assistance is intended to help farmers manage expenses connected with agriculture and allied activities while also providing support for household requirements. The Union government has approved the continuation of PM-KISAN from 2026-27 through 2030-31, with a total financial allocation of Rs 3.15 lakh crore.

Uttar Pradesh's beneficiary base highlights the scale of the scheme in the state's agricultural economy. More than 2.2 crore farmers received the latest instalment, making the state the biggest beneficiary among all states. The Rs 4,352 crore transferred during the instalment amounts to approximately Rs 2,000 for each beneficiary, consistent with the scheme's payment structure.

The large number of beneficiaries also reflects the significant role played by small and marginal farmers in Uttar Pradesh. A 2022 study conducted by the Agro-Economic Research Centre at the University of Allahabad found that most of the PM-KISAN beneficiaries surveyed in the state owned less than two hectares of land.

The same study examined how the scheme affected farm incomes in Uttar Pradesh. It found that beneficiaries mainly spent the financial assistance on agricultural requirements, including ploughing, fertilisers and seeds.

The research also reported differences in crop yields between beneficiary and non-beneficiary farms. Paddy yields on beneficiary farms were 3.08% higher, while wheat yields were 1.93% higher. Net farm income among beneficiary households was reported to have increased by 9.85%.

These findings suggest that regular cash assistance can help reduce some of the liquidity constraints farmers face during different stages of the agricultural cycle. However, the study also highlighted that the Rs 6,000 annual assistance does not cover the complete cost of cultivation.

An analysis accompanying the study estimated the weighted A2 cost, representing paid-out expenses incurred by farmers, at around Rs 9,500 per acre. This underlines that PM-KISAN is primarily an income-support mechanism and is not intended to meet the entire cost of agricultural production.

PM-KISAN operates alongside other institutional support mechanisms available to farmers. Beneficiaries can also access the Kisan Credit Card facility, which offers short-term agricultural credit at concessional interest rates.

Such support is intended to ease liquidity constraints and reduce farmers' dependence on informal borrowing for purchasing agricultural inputs. The government has said PM-KISAN payments have helped farmers make timely investments in seeds, fertilisers, irrigation, machinery and other agricultural requirements.

An evaluation by NITI Aayog cited by the Centre found that more than 92% of beneficiaries reported using the financial assistance for agricultural activities and investment.

While Rs 6,000 a year is relatively small compared with the overall expenses involved in farming, the scale and recurring nature of the payments give PM-KISAN considerable reach. For an individual beneficiary, each instalment is worth Rs 2,000, but across Uttar Pradesh the latest payment resulted in thousands of crores being transferred to more than two crore farmers.

The scheme relies on a combination of recurring financial assistance, direct bank transfers and digital verification. This struct