In a significant setback for India’s agricultural welfare initiatives, over 30 million farmers across the country are still awaiting enrollment in the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) scheme due to unresolved issues with Aadhaar seeding in their bank accounts.
This glitch has prevented many eligible farmers from receiving the scheme’s financial benefits, which are disbursed directly through Aadhaar-linked accounts.
Focusing on Odisha, a staggering 73,532 farmers in the state are affected by pending Aadhaar-bank account linkages. This information came to light in the Lok Sabha through a response from Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Ramnath Thakur, to a query raised by MP M K Bishnu Prasad.
According to the minister’s reply, Uttar Pradesh tops the list with the highest number of impacted farmers at 10,44,200, followed by states like Gujarat and Rajasthan, where large numbers of cultivators are also facing similar hurdles. Nationwide, the total stands at 30,18,361 farmers whose Aadhaar seeding remains incomplete.
Launched by the Prime Minister in February 2019, the PM-KISAN scheme provides an annual financial support of Rs 6,000 to small and marginal farmers, divided into three equal instalments of Rs 2,000 each. These payments are transferred directly via the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) system to Aadhaar-linked bank accounts, ensuring transparency and efficiency. Since its inception, the scheme has disbursed funds across 21 instalments, totalling Rs 4.09 lakh crore to beneficiaries.
However, the absence of Aadhaar seeding has stalled payments for those affected. Minister Thakur emphasised that all disbursements under PM-KISAN are processed exclusively through DBT-linked accounts, making the linkage mandatory.
To address this bottleneck, the Ministry is collaborating with state governments and Union Territories to conduct focused saturation drives. Partnerships with Common Service Centres (CSCs) and India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) are facilitating easier Aadhaar seeding processes. Additionally, farmers are being notified via SMS alerts, urging them to complete the linkage to avail of the benefits.
This issue highlights ongoing challenges in digital integration for rural welfare programs, where technical glitches and awareness gaps continue to exclude deserving beneficiaries. As the government pushes for full coverage, stakeholders hope for swift resolutions to ensure no farmer is left behind.
