Lok Sabha Question No. 4011 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-03-25
Subject: Beneficiaries of PM-KISAN in Kerala
Ministry: AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
Asked by: Dr. Shashi Tharoor

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4011

TO BE ANSWERED ON 25 TH  MARCH, 2025

## BENEFICIARIES OF PM-KISAN IN KERALA

4011. DR. SHASHI THAROOR:

Will the Minister of AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE कृ ͪष एवं ͩकसान कãयाण मंğी

be pleased to state: (a) whether there is any quantitative and qualitative data about the reduction in eligible beneficiaries  of  Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) Yojana in Kerala from early 2022 to late 2024; (b) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor; (c) the figures of and percentage increase in ineligible beneficiaries from early 2022 to November 2024; (d) the implications for the PM-KISAN due to this shift in beneficiary numbers; (e) the  comparative  data  on beneficiary ratios in States with higher agricultural dependency  versus  Kerala's  notably  low  figure  (18%  agricultural  households)  along  with potential corrective measures; (f) whether  the  Government  has  implemented  mechanisms  in  place  to  detect  such irregularities; and

- (g) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE FOR AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE कृ ͪष एवं ͩकसान कãयाण राÏय मंğी (SHRI RAMNATH THAKUR) (a) to (g): The PM-KISAN scheme is a central sector scheme launched in February 2019 by the Hon'ble Prime Minister to supplement the financial needs of cultivable land-holding farmers. Under the scheme, a financial benefit of Rs 6,000/- per year is transferred in three equal instalments, into the Aadhaar seeded bank accounts of farmers through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) mode. A farmer-centric digital infrastructure has ensured the benefits of the scheme reach all the  farmers  across  the  country  without  involvement  of  any  intermediaries.  Maintaining

absolute transparency in registering and verifying beneficiaries, the Government of India has disbursed over Rs 3.68 lakh Cr. through 19 installments since inception. Out of which, Rs. 11,806.93 crore was released to the beneficiaries of Kerala. Benefits  of  the  scheme  are  transferred  to  the  beneficiaries  through  Direct  Benefit Transfer (DBT) mode, based on the verified data received from the States/UTs on the PMKISAN portal. The scheme initially started on a trust-based system, where beneficiaries were registered by the states on self-certification basis. Initially, Aadhaar seeding was also relaxed for some of the States. Later on, to address this, several technological interventions were introduced,  including  integration  with  PFMS,  UIDAI,  and  the  Income  Tax  Department. Further, land seeding was made mandatory along with Aadhaar based payment and e-KYC. The benefits of the farmers, who did not complete these mandatory criteria, were stopped. As and when these farmers complete their mandatory requirements and meet the eligibility criteria, they receive the benefits of the scheme along with their due installments, if any.

In this process, the total numbers of beneficiaries benefited in the scheme in the 12 th Instalment  period  were  decreased  across  the  States.  This  decrease  was  nominal  in  the States  who  proactively  undertook  suitable  measures  and  completed  the  above  said mandatory requirements. For Kerala State the no. of beneficiaries decreased from 34.62 lakh during the 11 th  instalment cycle (April - July 2022) to 20.01 lakh during the 12 th  instalment cycle (August - November 2022) as the State were able to complete land seeding for only 20.01  lakh  beneficiaries.  In  the  19 th   instalment  cycle  (Dec'24  -  Mar'25),  the  no.  of beneficiaries in Kerala increased to 28.78 lakh.

The  Ministry  often  undertakes  saturation  drives  in  coordination  with  the  State Governments to ensure that no eligible farmers are left out from the Scheme. The major nationwide  saturation  drive  was  undertaken  from  15 th   November  2023,  under  the  Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra (VBSY), to saturate the scheme with all eligible farmers. More than 1.0 Cr. farmers were covered during the VBSY campaign across the country. Further, under the new Government's 100 days initiative,  around  25 lakh  more  eligible  farmers  were  added under the PM-KISAN scheme. Additionally, a special drive was conducted from September 2024 to clear the self-registration pending cases. Under the drive since inception, over 30 lakh pending self-registration cases have been approved by the State/UT. With these efforts, over 4.70 lakh new farmers have been added in the scheme in the Kerala.

With these efforts, during the release of 19th Instalment of PM-Kisan, more than 9.8 crore beneficiaries received the benefit amounting to over Rs. 22,000 crore.

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