SRINAGAR: Nearly 8.68 lakh farmers in Jammu and Kashmir received financial assistance under the 23rd instalment of the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) scheme, with the Union Government transferring more than Rs 173.60 crore to beneficiaries between April and July this year.
The figures were disclosed by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare in a written reply to an unstarred question in the Lok Sabha on Monday.
According to the Ministry, 8,67,973 farmers in Jammu and Kashmir received the 23rd instalment, amounting to Rs 173.60 crore. In neighbouring Ladakh, 18,340 farmers received Rs 3.67 crore under the same instalment.
Across the country, the Centre transferred Rs 18,895.10 crore to 9.44 crore farmers under the latest instalment of the flagship income support scheme.
Replying to questions raised by MPs Benny Behanan and K. Radhakrishnan, Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Ramnath Thakur said the Government has disbursed more than Rs 4.46 lakh crore through 23 instalments since the launch of PM-KISAN.
The Minister clarified that land seeding, e-KYC and Aadhaar linkage with bank accounts are mandatory for farmers to receive benefits under the scheme. He said once eligible beneficiaries are verified by the respective State or Union Territory governments, payments are transferred in subsequent instalments.
The Government acknowledged that compliance with these eligibility requirements is compulsory but did not specify the number of farmers excluded due to land record issues or Aadhaar mismatches. Instead, it stated that verified eligible beneficiaries receive benefits promptly after completing the required formalities.
The Centre also ruled out any immediate enhancement of the annual financial assistance under the scheme. Responding to a question on whether the Government intends to increase the present annual support of Rs 6,000 per farmer, the Ministry said, “There is no such proposal.”
Among the states, Uttar Pradesh accounted for the largest number of beneficiaries in the 23rd instalment, with 2.17 crore farmers receiving Rs 4,353.25 crore, followed by Maharashtra with 90.56 lakh beneficiaries receiving Rs 1,811.67 crore, and Madhya Pradesh, where 81.66 lakh farmers received Rs 1,634.61 crore.
