7 Years of Pradhan Mantri Kisan Maandhan Yojana (PM-KMY)

Securing Farmers’ Future with Dignity

Growing Social Security Coverage

• PM-KMY has steadily expanded its reach since its launch. By 6 February 2026, 24,96,252 farmers had enrolled under the scheme.
• Haryana has the highest enrolment, with around 5.75 lakh farmers, followed by Bihar with more than 3.46 lakh.
• Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh have each crossed 2.5 lakh, while Chhattisgarh has recorded more than 2 lakh enrolments.
• Odisha, Jammu and Kashmir, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra have also contributed significantly to the scheme’s national footprint.
• Since 2019, around ₹540.66 crore has been utilised nationwide for implementation and outreach, as of February 2026.
• The expanding enrolment reflects increasing awareness of the importance of old-age social security among farming communities.

Pension Security for Farmers

• PM-KMY is a Central Sector Scheme administered by the Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, in partnership with the Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC).
• Eligible farmers receive a minimum assured pension of ₹3,000 per month after attaining 60 years of age.
•  The scheme is particularly significant for small and marginal farmers, who often have limited savings and face income uncertainties during old age.
• The scheme also provides family pension protection. If a subscriber dies after beginning to receive the pension, the spouse is entitled to 50% of the pension, i.e. ₹1,500 per month, provided the spouse is not already a PM-KMY beneficiary.
• If a subscriber dies before 60 years of age, the spouse can either continue the scheme by making the prescribed contributions or exit according to the applicable withdrawal provisions.

Eligibility

• PM-KMY is open to small and marginal farmers with cultivable landholdings of up to two hectares. Eligible farmers must:
  • Be 18–40 years of age at the time of enrolment.
  • Have their names recorded in the relevant State/UT land records as of 1 August 2019.
  • Satisfy the prescribed exclusion criteria.
• The scheme covers both male and female farmers, making it an important component of inclusive rural social security.

Who Is Excluded?

• The scheme is targeted towards farmers with limited old-age financial protection. Therefore, several categories are excluded.
• Farmers already covered under other social-security or pension schemes, such as NPS, ESIC, EPFO, PM-SYM and PM-LVM, cannot enrol.
• Other exclusions include:
  •  
  • Institutional landholders
  • Present or former constitutional post holders
  • Present or former Ministers and elected representatives, including MPs, MLAs, MLCs, Mayors and District Panchayat Chairpersons
  • Serving or retired employees of Central/State Governments, Public Sector Enterprises and regular local-body employees
  • Income-tax payers
  • Registered practising professionals such as doctors, engineers, lawyers, CAs and architects
• However, MTS, Class IV and Group D government employees are exempted from this particular exclusion and remain eligible.
• Eligibility is primarily based on self-declaration, which is subsequently certified by the State/UT Government. False declarations can result in loss of benefits, stoppage of the Government's matching contribution and refund of the subscriber's contributions without interest.

Shared Contribution Model

• A major feature of PM-KMY is its 50:50 contribution model. The farmer and the Central Government contribute an equal amount towards the pension fund.
• Depending on the age at which a farmer joins, the monthly contribution ranges from ₹55 to ₹200. Younger entrants contribute less, while those joining closer to 40 contribute more.
• Contributions are generally automatically debited from the farmer’s linked bank account through an auto-debit mandate. Eligible farmers can also use their PM-KISAN benefits for voluntary contributions towards PM-KMY.
• This arrangement reduces the financial burden on farmers while enabling them to build long-term pension security.

Simple and Digital Enrolment

• PM-KMY provides a paperless enrolment process through Common Service Centres (CSCs).

• Farmers need their Aadhaar card, bank account details and mobile number for registration and OTP verification.
• The Village Level Entrepreneur (VLE) verifies the farmer’s information and completes the online registration. The first contribution is processed digitally.
• Following successful enrolment, the farmer receives a Pension Account Number and pension card.
• Subsequent contributions are automatically debited from the linked bank account.
• Farmers can choose contribution frequencies of monthly, quarterly, four-monthly or half-yearly, providing flexibility according to agricultural income cycles.

Significance

• PM-KMY goes beyond conventional agricultural support by recognising that farmers’ welfare must extend beyond their productive years.
• It creates an institutional pension safety net for a section of the farming community that may otherwise have limited retirement savings.
• The scheme contributes to –
  • Old-age income security
  • Financial dignity for farmers
  • Family-level social protection
  • Greater awareness of formal pension systems
  • Inclusion of rural households within India’s broader social-security architecture

Conclusion

• Seven years of PM-KMY demonstrate the Government’s attempt to create a sustainable social-security framework for small and marginal farmers.
• With nearly 25 lakh enrolments, assured pension of ₹3,000 per month, equal Government contribution, family-pension provisions and a simple digital enrolment mechanism, the scheme seeks to transform old age from a period of financial uncertainty into one of greater dignity and security.
• Ultimately, PM-KMY recognises a fundamental principle: those who spend their working lives securing India’s food security also deserve security in their own later years.

Reference

PIB| PMKMY