PM-Kisan has transferred over ₹4.47 trillion through 23 instalments to 95 million farmers. Its Aadhaar-enabled DBT model demonstrates the potential of direct subsidy delivery
The ₹6,000 annual support has remained unchanged since PM-Kisan began. With farm-input prices rising significantly, its real value and effectiveness merit reconsideration
PM-Kisan covers land-owning farmers, excluding tenants and many landless farm households. Extending support to vulnerable tenants could better protect rural livelihoods
PM-Kisan’s land records and JAM-based delivery system could help calculate fertiliser requirements according to landholding size and transfer subsidies more directly
A direct fertiliser subsidy system could improve transparency and reduce leakages, particularly involving urea, while moving away from routing subsidies through fertiliser producer
PM-Kisan can become more than an income-support scheme. Extending coverage & integrating fertiliser subsidies could improve efficiency while easing pressure on government finances