Six years on, has PM-Kisan lived up to its promise of farmer relief?

The programme, meant to give a helping hand to small farmers, is the world's largest direct benefit transfer scheme and unarguably the Modi-led government's most ambitious

Last month, PM-Kisan, billed as the world’s largest Direct Benefits Transfer (DBT) programme and one of the Modi government’s most ambitious schemes for farmers, completed six years of operations. Under the scheme, the Central government transfers a cash benefit of Rs 6,000 per year in three equal instalments, into the Aadhaar seeded bank accounts of farmers through the DBT mode. The scheme is meant to supplement the financial needs of farmers and help them purchase critical agricultural inputs ahead of sowing.

 

Launched just days ahead of the 2019 general elections, the programme, some policy watchers say, was meant to mitigate