RAS question
How many farmer families have benefited from PM-KISAN?
Correct answer: (C) Over 11 crore.
PM-KISAN has benefited over 11 crore farmer families.
Explanation
The official PIB release says PM-KISAN has crossed Rs. 3.70 lakh crore in direct transfers to over 11 crore farmer families through 20 instalments. That makes option C the precise match: the scheme is not merely above 5 crore or 8 crore beneficiaries, but above 11 crore. The same release describes PM Kisan Samman Nidhi as a Central Sector Scheme launched on February 24, 2019, providing annual financial assistance of Rs. 6,000 to each eligible farmer family. Its benefits are delivered through the PM KISAN portal, Aadhaar-seeded bank accounts and completed e-KYC, which explains why the official count is framed in terms of farmer families receiving direct transfers.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Over 5 crore understates the official PIB figure, which places PM-KISAN beneficiaries at over 11 crore farmer families.
- (B) Over 8 crore is still below the officially cited scale of the scheme, which has reached over 11 crore farmer families.
- (D) Over 15 crore is not supported by the cited PIB release, which gives the beneficiary count as over 11 crore farmer families.
Concept
This tests current-affairs recall of flagship Central Sector welfare schemes and their headline beneficiary figures. RAS repeatedly asks such scheme facts because they link governance, direct benefit transfer and rural welfare.