Govt flags over 31L ‘suspected’ PM-Kisan beneficiaries
New Delhi: The Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare has flagged 31.01 lakh “suspected” beneficiaries under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-Kisan) scheme, where both husband and wife were found to be receiving financial assistance simultaneously. The irregularities were detected during a large-scale scrutiny drive conducted by the ministry, The Indian Express reported.
According to official sources, verification has been completed for 19.02 lakh of the identified cases. Of these, 17.87 lakh—amounting to 93.98 per cent—were confirmed as instances where both spouses had availed of the benefits. The agriculture ministry has written to states and Union Territories, directing them to complete the remaining verification exercise by October 15.
Under the PM-Kisan scheme, all eligible landholding farmer families receive Rs 6,000 per year in three equal instalments of Rs 2,000 each. The amount is transferred directly to beneficiaries’ bank accounts under the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) mechanism. According to scheme guidelines, a “landholder farmer’s family” comprises a husband, wife, and minor children owning cultivable land, and only one member of the family is eligible to receive benefits.
The ministry has also identified 1.76 lakh cases where minors and other members from the same household were receiving PM-Kisan benefits, The Indian Express noted.
Further scrutiny revealed 33.34 lakh suspected cases in which details of previous landowners were either missing or invalid. According to PM-Kisan norms, for land transfers made after February 1, 2019, details of the previous landowner must be provided during registration to prevent duplicate payments. Of these, 8.11 lakh cases involved both previous and current landowners receiving benefits.
Additionally, 8.83 lakh cases were found where the reason for land mutation was recorded as something other than inheritance, contrary to permissible conditions under the scheme, sources said.
To strengthen verification, the Centre plans to make a unique Farmer ID mandatory for new PM-Kisan enrolments starting January 1, 2025. Launched on February 24, 2019, just ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, PM-Kisan is a 100 per cent centrally funded scheme. Prime Minister Narendra Modi released the 20th instalment from Varanasi on August 2, 2025, transferring funds to over 9.7 crore farmers across the country. The government has allocated Rs 63,500 crore for the scheme in the Union Budget 2025–26.
A parliamentary panel has recently recommended doubling the annual assistance under PM-Kisan to Rs 12,000 per year from the current Rs 6,000.
