PM-KISAN: Over 2 Crore SC/ST Farmers Benefit

New Delhi, Dec 10 (PTI) Over 2.04 crore farmers from Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) have been beneficiaries of the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) scheme, the government informed Parliament on Tuesday.

Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, in his written reply to the Lok Sabha, revealed that since the scheme's launch in February 2019, the central government has disbursed more than Rs 3.46 lakh crore to farmers through 18 installments.

The latest, 18th installment of the scheme, was released to 9.58 crore beneficiaries, with a detailed breakup showing 1.16 crore SC farmers, 88.34 lakh ST farmers, and 7.54 crore farmers in the 'others' category.

Addressing potential barriers to farmer inclusion, the minister said the government has implemented several measures to ensure seamless registration, particularly for SC, ST, and OBC communities facing land ownership documentation challenges.

Key flexibility measures include, relaxing land seeding conditions in north-eastern states; accepting alternative land ownership proofs in states like Manipur, Nagaland, and Jharkhand; and recognising Forest Rights Act (FRA) patta holders as eligible beneficiaries

Under PM-KISAN, eligible farmers receive a financial assistance of Rs 6,000 annually, transferred in three equal installments directly into their Aadhaar-linked bank accounts.

The minister clarified that the scheme applies only to cultivable land-holding farmers and does not provide accommodation for agricultural labourers from SC, ST, or OBC communities.

Notably, the government does not maintain separate data for OBC farmers, who are included in the 'others' category.