**Executive Summary**
This document is the response to Unstarred Question No. 358 in Lok Sabha, addressed to the Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare on December 2nd, 2025. It addresses discrepancies in the PM-KISAN Samman Nidhi Scheme, specifically concerning the distribution of benefits to ineligible persons and the government's actions to rectify these issues. The response details steps taken to identify ineligible beneficiaries, recover disbursed amounts, and strengthen the transparency and verification process.
**Key Points / Main Content**
* **PM-KISAN Scheme Overview:**
* Launched in February 2019 to provide financial assistance to farmers with cultivable land-holding.
* Provides ₹ 6,000 per year in three equal installments via Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) to Aadhaar-seeded bank accounts.
* Cultivable landholding is the primary eligibility criteria, subject to exclusions based on higher economic status.
* Over ₹ 4.09 lakh Cr. disbursed through 21 installments since inception.
* **Registration and Verification:**
* Farmers can register via PM-KISAN Portal, PM-KISAN App, and Common Service Centers (CSCs).
* Applications are approved by States/UTs after due verification.
* Applications lacking required documents/details are liable to rejection.
* Land seeding, Aadhaar-based payments, and e-KYC are mandatory. Benefits are stopped for farmers who do not meet these requirements until they complete them.
* **Identifying Ineligible Beneficiaries and Recovery:**
* The government is taking steps to identify ineligible or duplicate beneficiaries nationwide.
* Data is transferred via DBT based on verified data from States/UTs through the PM-KISAN portal.
* Transparency is enhanced through integration with PFMS, UIDAI, and the Income Tax Department.
* The PM-KISAN database is cross-verified with PDS, UIDAI, PFMS, and Income Tax data for deduplication.
* Benefits are stopped where more than one family member is enrolled, or when both previous and current landowners are enrolled after land transfer through inheritance.
* States/UTs must recover amounts from ineligible farmers, including income tax payees, PSU/Govt employees, and constitutional post holders.
* Rs. 416.75 Cr has been recovered from ineligible beneficiaries so far.
**Impact Analysis**
**Stakeholder: Farmers (Eligible)**
* **Impact**: Ensures that eligible farmers receive the intended benefits of the PM-KISAN scheme without undue delays. Ongoing verification processes might cause temporary disruptions but aim to secure long-term benefits.
* **Action Required**: Comply with requirements for Land seeding, Aadhaar-based payments, and e-KYC to continue receiving benefits.
**Stakeholder: Farmers (Ineligible)**
* **Impact**: Termination of benefits and recovery of amounts already received.
* **Action Required**: Repay the received amounts as mandated by the States/UTs.
**Stakeholder: State/UT Governments**
* **Impact**: Increased responsibility for stringent verification and recovery processes.
* **Action Required**: Verify applications, identify ineligible beneficiaries, and ensure the recovery of disbursed amounts.
**Stakeholder: Government of India**
* **Impact**: Improved efficiency and transparency in the PM-KISAN scheme.
* **Action Required**: Maintain and enhance the digital infrastructure, continue integrating with other databases, and monitor the recovery process.
Key Entities Referenced
PM-KISAN (Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi): A central sector scheme launched to provide financial assistance to farmers with cultivable landholding.
Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare: The ministry responsible for the PM-KISAN scheme.
Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT): The mode of transferring benefits under the PM-KISAN scheme directly to beneficiaries' bank accounts.
States/UTs: The authorities responsible for verification and approval of PM-KISAN applications and recovery of funds from ineligible beneficiaries.
Aadhaar: A unique identification number used for verification and payment under the PM-KISAN scheme.
O.I.H.
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 358
TO BE ANSWERED ON 2ND DECEMBER, 2025
DISCREPANCY IN PM-KISAN SAMMAN NIDHI SCHEME
358. SHRI BALYA MAMA SURESH GOPINATH MHATRE:
Will the Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare कृ(cid:874)ष एव ं (cid:873)कसान क(cid:227)याण म(cid:287)ं ी
be pleased to state:
(a) whether the Government have taken note of the fact that benefits under the Pradhan
Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) scheme have been distributed to ineligible persons
in several States;
(b) if so, the number of such ineligible beneficiaries and the amount disbursed State-wise;
(c) the steps taken by the Government to investigate the above discrepancy, and the process
adopted to recover the amount from ineligible beneficiaries;
(d) the details of the amount recovered so far State-wise; and
(e) whether the Government proposes to further strengthen the transparency and verification
process in the implementation of this scheme in the future?
ANSWER
THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
कृ(cid:874)ष एव ं (cid:873)कसान क(cid:227)याण रा(cid:207)य मं(cid:287)ी (SHRI RAMNATH THAKUR)
(a) & (b): The PM-KISAN scheme is a central sector scheme launched in February 2019 by
the Hon’ble Prime Minister to supplement the financial needs of farmers with cultivable land-
holding. Under the scheme, a financial benefit of ₹ 6,000/- per year is transferred in three
equal instalments, into the Aadhaar seeded bank accounts of farmers through Direct Benefit
Transfer (DBT) mode. Under the PM-KISAN Scheme, cultivable landholding is primary
eligibility criteria to receive benefit of the Scheme subject to certain exclusions relating to
higher economic status.
A farmer-centric digital infrastructure has ensured the benefits of the scheme reach all the
farmers across the country without involvement of any intermediaries. Maintaining absolute
transparency in registering and verifying beneficiaries, the Government of India has disbursed
over ₹ 4.09 lakh Cr. through 21 installments since inception of the Scheme.The registration of farmers and their verification under the Scheme is an ongoing
process. The farmers can register themselves through PM-KISAN Portal, PM-KISAN App,
and Common Service Centers (CSCs). All such applications are approved by the concerned
States/UTs after due verification. In the cases, where the required documents/details are not
provided by the applicant, the application is liable to be rejected by the State/UT
Governments. Once it is approved by the State/UTs, benefit is processed immediately by the
Department and the same is released in the subsequent instalment. Further, Land seeding,
Aadhaar-based payments, and e-KYC have been made mandatory under the scheme. The
benefits of the farmers, who did not complete these mandatory criteria, were stopped. As and
when these farmers complete their mandatory requirements, they receive the benefits of the
scheme.
(c) to (e): The Government has undertaken various steps to identify ineligible or duplicate
beneficiaries under the PM-KISAN scheme across nation. The benefit under the PM-KISAN
scheme is transferred to beneficiaries via Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT), based on verified
data provided by States and UTs through the PM-KISAN portal. To ensure transparency and
efficient implementation, several technological measures have been introduced, including
integration with PFMS, UIDAI, and the Income Tax Department. Further, Land seeding,
Aadhaar-based payments, and e-KYC have been made mandatory to ensure benefits reach
only to the eligible farmers.
The PM-KISAN database is also cross-verified with the PDS ration card database, UIDAI
records (including deactivated Aadhaar due to death), and PFMS and Income Tax data for
deduplication. Benefits were additionally stopped in cases where more than one family
member appeared to be enrolled, and where both previous and current landowners were
found enrolled after land transfer through inheritance following the death of the original owner.
States/UTs have been mandated to recover any amount transferred to ineligible farmers
marked due to higher income groups such as income tax payees, employees of PSUs,
State/Central Govt., Constitutional post holders etc. An amount of Rs. 416.75 Cr. has been
recovered from the ineligible beneficiaries so far across the country.
*****