Giving the multiplier effect to PM-KISAN, India’s direct benefit transfer program for farmers

India’s Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi program, known as PM-KISAN, announced in Dec. 2018, was a tectonic shift in the nature of government support to farmers. This direct benefit transfer scheme was aimed at addressing the liquidity constraints of farmers in meeting their expenses for agricultural inputs and services.

This scheme is particularly important in a country like India, where still about half of the farming households do not have access to formal credit.

Photo credit: Neil Palmer/CIAT