A single cabinet decision, and ₹3.15 lakh crore is now committed to India's farmers through 2030-31 — Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma called it historic on Friday, 31 July 2026, and the numbers back the claim. The Union Cabinet, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved the continuation of the PM-KISAN scheme for another five-year cycle, from 2026-27 to 2030-31, extending one of India's largest direct-benefit-transfer programmes well into the next decade.

What the Cabinet Approved — and What It Means for Farm Incomes

The Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) was first launched in February 2019 as a direct income-support scheme, transferring ₹6,000 per year in three instalments directly into the bank accounts of eligible landholding farmer families. No middlemen, no leakage — cash in hand. The cabinet's latest decision locks in that pipeline for five more years with a total financial outlay of ₹3.15 lakh crore, a commitment that signals the central government's intent to anchor rural welfare policy through the end of the decade.

CM Sharma welcomed the decision on X, writing in Hindi that the move is 'extremely commendable and historic' (अत्यंत सराहनीय एवं ऐतिहासिक). He expressed gratitude on behalf of farmers across Rajasthan and the country, and said the decision would bring 'unprecedented growth in agricultural investment and productivity' while giving 'new strength to the rural economy.'

Rajasthan's Farmers in the Frame

Rajasthan — India's largest state by area — carries a significant agricultural population spread across arid and semi-arid zones where income volatility is high and irrigation coverage remains uneven. Direct cash transfers under PM-KISAN have served as a critical income floor for small and marginal farmers in the state, cushioning against erratic monsoons and fluctuating crop prices. For CM Sharma, the extension is not just a policy win at the Centre; it is a direct fiscal relief for a constituency that forms the backbone of Rajasthan's rural economy.

Five Years More: The Pattern Behind the Extension

Since its launch, PM-KISAN has followed a pattern of periodic budgetary reinforcement — each union budget has sustained or expanded its coverage, and the scheme has become a structural fixture of India's agricultural support architecture. The five-year extension through 2030-31 deepens that institutionalisation, moving PM-KISAN from a year-to-year allocation to a medium-term programme commitment. The ₹3.15 lakh crore outlay represents one of the largest single-scheme welfare approvals in recent memory.

Watch for the specifics of fund-release timelines and any revision to the per-farmer transfer amount when the 2026-27 Union Budget documents are published — those details will determine whether the headline figure translates into meaningful income uplift or merely maintains the status quo.

India's farmers have a five-year guarantee. Now the question is what the government does with it.