The Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN), a Central Sector Scheme, aims to provide financial assistance to cultivable landholding farmer families across the country, subject to specific exclusion criteria. Under this Scheme, an annual amount of Rs. 6000/- is transferred in three equal installments of Rs. 2000/- directly into the Aadhaar Seeded bank accounts of the farmers.

Since its inception, the PM-KISAN scheme has leveraged technology to enhance its implementation and administration. A farmer-centric digital infrastructure ensures the scheme's benefits reach all farmers nationwide, eliminating middlemen involvement. The Government of India has disbursed over Rs 2.60 Lakhs Crores to more than 11 Crore farmers, of which over 3 Crores are women farmers. PM Kisan Scheme stands as one of the largest Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) schemes globally, directly transferring funds to farmers' Aadhaar-linked bank accounts, bypassing intermediaries.Under the PM Kisan scheme, a notification under section 7 of the Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and other Subsidies, benefits, and services) Act, 2016 has been issued, permitting the Government to utilize farmers' Aadhaar for verification purposes, including eKYC.

The PM-KISAN mobile app was launched in February 2020, with the provision for e-KYC through face authentication introduced in June 2023. The PM Kisan Mobile App, featuring Face Authentication, enables farmers to complete their e-KYCs effortlessly from their mobile devices. This user-friendly App is available for download on Google Play Store for Android phones. During the pilot testing phase, over 2.0 lakh farmers completed their e-KYC across the nation using the PM-KISAN mobile app's face authentication feature. Currently, around 8.0 lakh farmers have accomplished their e-KYC through this mobile App. As part of the facial e-KYC process, farmers are required to provide digital consent before their faces undergo scanning.

To bridge the digital divide, the PM-KISAN mobile App offers flexible provisions. Farmers can complete their own e-KYC through the app and assist up to 100 other farmers in their vicinity with their e-KYCs. Additionally, state government officials, including district, block, and village-level nodal officers, can perform e-KYC for 500 farmers using their registered mobile numbers. The PM Kisan scheme's services are also accessible through more than 4.0 lakh CSCs across the country.

Furthermore, various steps have been taken by respective state/UT Governments and the Central Government to raise awareness about the scheme and its digital features. Text messages in regional languages are sent to all PM Kisan beneficiaries at different stages of the scheme. Social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, etc., are utilized by the Central and State Governments to engage the farmers and make them aware about eligibility criteria, mandatory verifications and the process to avail the benefits of PM KISAN scheme.

This information was given by the Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Shri Narendra Singh Tomar in a written reply in Rajya Sabha today.

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