The Chief Minister's Office of Uttarakhand announced on Tuesday, 9 June 2026 that more than nine lakh farmers in the state are receiving benefits under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) scheme, highlighting the reach of the central government's flagship direct income-support programme in the Himalayan state.

Context

The post, shared on the official CMO Uttarakhand account, stated in Hindi: 'Nau lakh se adhik kisanon ko mil rahi Kisan Samman Nidhi' ('More than nine lakh farmers are receiving Kisan Samman Nidhi'). The update signals continued enrolment momentum under the scheme, which provides eligible farmer families with ₹6,000 per year in three equal instalments of ₹2,000 transferred directly to their bank accounts.

Uttarakhand is a predominantly smallholder farming state in the western Himalayas, where fragmented landholdings and difficult terrain make direct income support particularly consequential for rural households dependent on agriculture.

Policy Backdrop

PM-KISAN was announced in the February 2019 interim Union Budget and formally launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 24 February 2019 as a nationwide direct benefit transfer (DBT) programme under the central sector. The scheme is fully funded by the Government of India and covers all landholding farmer families subject to certain exclusion criteria.

Since its launch, the scheme has expanded coverage through periodic instalment cycles and mandatory Aadhaar-linked e-KYC verification, with state governments responsible for beneficiary identification, verification, and grievance redressal. Uttarakhand, like other states, periodically publishes enrolment and disbursement updates as part of implementation accountability.

Stakeholders and Impact

The primary beneficiaries are small and marginal farmers — those with landholdings typically under two hectares — who form the bulk of Uttarakhand's agricultural workforce. For these households, the annual ₹6,000 transfer supplements income during lean seasons and helps meet input costs such as seeds and fertilisers.

Beyond direct recipients, the announcement underscores the state administration's role as a conduit between the central scheme and rural communities, particularly in districts with limited banking infrastructure where DBT outreach has historically required additional effort. The figure of over nine lakh beneficiaries reflects cumulative enrolment and ongoing verification drives in the state.

What's Next

Attention will now turn to the disbursement of upcoming PM-KISAN instalments and whether Uttarakhand announces any supplementary state-level support to complement the central transfer. Periodic beneficiary verification cycles — including e-KYC compliance deadlines set by the Centre — will determine whether the enrolled base holds steady or expands further in the months ahead.

Any state budget announcements targeting hill farmers or allied sectors such as horticulture and animal husbandry could signal how the Uttarakhand government plans to layer state schemes on top of the central income-support architecture.