About 11.3 crore farmers were covered under the PM Kisan yojana in its April-July 2022-23 payment cycle, says the Economic Survey 2023, tabled in the Lok Sabha by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on January 31, 2023. Through a span of over 3 years, the Central scheme has successfully provided assistance of more than Rs 2 lakh crore to crores of farmers in the country, says the Survey.
Schemes like PM-Kisan Yojana have helped in ensuring food security in the country, and their impact was also endorsed by the United Nations Development Programme, it adds.
While stating that cash transfers under Central schemes like the PM Kisan and MGNREGS, were a big relief for all the adversely affected masses of India during the Covid-19 period, the survey adds that Aadhaar forms the backbone for the implementation of this scheme, right from registration through Aadhaar eKYC to direct benefits transfer.
“Income support to farmers through the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM Kisan) and the promotion of allied activities has led to diversification in sources of farmers’ income, improving their resilience to weather shocks… Many studies and findings indicate that the PM KISAN scheme has helped farmers towards productive investment in agricultural activities. This, through a multiplier effect, has contributed to the overall improvement of the farm sector,” says the Survey.
According to a study by the Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR) and the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), the PM Kisan scheme has enabled addressing the liquidity constraints of farmers for buying agricultural inputs.
“For the small and marginal farmers, it has helped them meet their requirement of funds for farm inputs and their daily consumption, education, health and other incidental expenses,” says the Survey.
Stating that the performance of the agriculture sector remains critical to growth and employment in the country, the Survey adds that the intervention by the government through the PM Kisan to provide income support has proved significant on this front.
