Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday, June 11, 2026, highlighted the cumulative reach of the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) scheme, citing direct benefit transfers of over ₹4.3 lakh crore to more than 9.32 crore farmers across India, as the programme marked twelve years of implementation under the hashtag #12YearsOfKisanSamriddhi.

Context

Sitharaman's post stated that PM-KISAN is 'ensuring dignity and prosperity for India's farmers through direct benefit transfers,' with over 2.15 crore women farmers counted among the beneficiaries. The milestone communication comes as the scheme completes a significant anniversary, with the government emphasising the programme's role in 'strengthening small and marginal farming families.'

PM-KISAN was launched in February 2019 under Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a central sector scheme providing a fixed annual income support of ₹6,000 to eligible landholding farmer families, disbursed in three equal instalments directly into beneficiary bank accounts via the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) mechanism.

Policy Backdrop

The scheme represents one of the largest direct cash-transfer programmes in the world by beneficiary count, designed specifically to supplement the income of small and marginal farmers and reduce their dependence on informal credit. Since its launch, PM-KISAN has been positioned as a flagship element of the Modi government's agrarian welfare architecture.

The DBT framework underpinning PM-KISAN has been a cornerstone of the government's anti-leakage strategy since 2014, aiming to ensure that welfare funds reach intended recipients without intermediary deductions. The agriculture sector has seen parallel interventions including enhanced Minimum Support Prices, expanded crop insurance under Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, and digital farmer registries aimed at improving targeting of smallholder support.

Stakeholders and Impact

The scheme's primary beneficiaries are small and marginal farmers — those holding less than two hectares of land — who constitute the majority of India's agricultural workforce. The inclusion of more than 2.15 crore women farmers in the beneficiary base is highlighted by the government as evidence of the programme's gender-inclusive design.

As Finance Minister, Sitharaman oversees the fiscal architecture that funds PM-KISAN's annual disbursements. Her amplification of the scheme's anniversary figures signals continued political and budgetary commitment to the programme at a time when rural income support remains a central concern for agricultural households facing input-cost pressures.

What's Next

Attention will now turn to the forthcoming Union Budget and whether allocations for PM-KISAN will be revised upward, either through an increase in the per-farmer annual transfer beyond ₹6,000 or through an expansion of eligibility criteria to cover a broader base of cultivators. Any announcement on the scheme's benefit revision would carry significant fiscal and political weight, given the scale of the programme and its direct link to rural household incomes across every state in India.