No proposal to hike PM-KISAN amount from Rs 6,000/yr: Agriculture Minister

New Delhi: The government on Tuesday informed Parliament that it has no proposal to increase the financial benefit to farmers under PM-KISAN scheme to Rs 8,000-12,000 per year.

There is no proposal under consideration to increase the amount even for women farmers under the scheme, Agriculture Minister Arjun Munda said in a written reply to Lok Sabha.

Launched in 2019, Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) provides eligible farmers a financial benefit of Rs 6,000 per year in three equal instalments of Rs 2,000 every four months. The fund is directly transferred to bank accounts of the beneficiaries.

"No proposal is under consideration," he said replying to question if the government plans to increase the amount to Rs 8,000-12,000 per year.

Sharing the progress made under the scheme, the minister said the government has disbursed over Rs 2.81 lakh crore to more than 11 crore farmers in 15 instalments so far.

The benefit is provided to supplement financial needs of land-holding farmers, he said.

Munda also said PM-KISAN is one of the largest Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) schemes of the world. A farmer-centric digital infrastructure has ensured benefits of the scheme reach all farmers across the country without any involvement of the middlemen.

To a separate query, the minister said in Uttar Pradesh, 2,62,45,829 farmers have received the benefit of PM-KISAN since inception of the scheme.

As per operational guidelines of the scheme, it is responsibility of states/UTs to identify and verify eligible beneficiaries under the scheme.