Cabinet extends PM-KISAN to FY31 with ₹3.15 lakh crore commitment
The Union Cabinet has extended PM-KISAN for five more years through FY31, committing ₹3.15 lakh crore to continue direct cash transfers to eligible farmer families. The government says the scheme has delivered large-scale support, with evidence from Niti Aayog suggesting stronger farm use and lower reliance on informal borrowing.
The Centre has chosen continuity over a pause in one of its most visible farm support programmes, betting that steady cash transfers will keep rural households insulated from volatility in input costs and weather shocks. The Union Cabinet has cleared a five-year extension of PM-KISAN, taking the scheme through FY31 and attaching a fresh outlay of ₹3.15 lakh crore, according to The Economic Times.What the latest approval means for farmersAshwini Vaishnaw said the Cabinet approved an outlay of ₹3,15,614 crore for the extended phase.PM-KISAN, qualifying farmers receive ₹6,000 a year in three equal instalments transferred directly into bank accounts through the Direct Benefit Transfer system. The programme, launched in February 2019, has become a key plank of the Centre's farm welfare architecture, especially at a time when agriculture continues to face uneven monsoons, rising fertiliser costs and pressure on margins.Scale of the programme has expanded sharplyGovernment cites evidence of farm use and lower borrowingNiti Aayog's Development Monitoring and Evaluation Office. According to the Centre, the study found that more than 92 per cent of beneficiaries used the assistance for farm-related purposes. Around 85 per cent reportedly said the money helped raise farm incomes and cut dependence on informal borrowing.Why the extension matters for the broader rural economyThe Economic Times reported the Cabinet approval and the accompanying fiscal commitment on Friday.