Since the launch of the PM KISAN scheme, amounts have been transferred to beneficiaries in 12 instalments so far. The greatest number of beneficiaries of the scheme was during the 11th instalment (April to July 2022) with 10.45 crores which is still less than the projected the beneficiary number of 14.5 crores. Even the recovery of amounts transferred to ineligible beneficiaries is very low. Farming is a risky profession owing to its extreme dependence on climatic conditions. Given the importance of food security for all, these uncertainties justify the crucial role of governments in providing a safety net for farmers. One key factor in determining the safety net is the costs of production. With rising input costs, they end up using a higher portion of their working capital on input costs while making less money. Input costs of production should not be allowed to exert an additional burden on the farmers. To mitigate the hardships due to rising input costs and to address the liquidity constraints of the farmers, the Government of India launched an income support scheme, Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM KISAN), which provides an income support of Rs. 6,000 per year to every landholding farmer, to be paid in three equal installments before every crop season. It has the characteristics of Universal Basic Income (UBI) but is restricted to only farmers. It is on the lines of similar schemes launched in states like Telangana, Odisha, etc. In this story, we look at some of the statistics relating to PM-KISAN since the inception of the scheme. Consistent increase in the number of beneficiaries The Government had paid twelve instalments since the inception of the scheme in 2018. Over these twelve instalments, the number of beneficiaries who had received the income support varies largely. While some extent of additions and removals can be attributed to the constant revision of list of eligible beneficiaries, large variations in beneficiaries raises pertinent doubts. Each installment is categorized as a period, and accordingly, the beneficiaries have been mapped. The first installment had 3.16 crore beneficiaries, while the second installment had 6 crore beneficiaries, owing to the extension in eligibility criteria from the initial 2-hectare limit to all farmers. The number of beneficiaries saw a consistent increase for each period, except the 12 period which registered a decline by almost 20%. The amount released corresponds to the number of eligible beneficiaries. Substantial proportion of farmers yet to receive the benefits The PM-KISAN scheme was initially restricted to farmers owning land up to two hectares. Subsequently, the scheme was extended to cover all land-holding farmers irrespective of the size of land holding subject to an exclusion criterion. The exclusion criteria include all serving and retired officers and employees of the government, public sector enterprises, and autonomous institutions under the government, including local bodies (except class IV and group D employees), as well as farmer families with at least one member holding a constitutional office, serving in the legislature, or serving as a mayor or chairperson of a municipal corporation, professionals such as engineers, lawyers, doctors, Chartered Accountants, and any person who had paid income tax in the previous assessment year are excluded from the programme. As per a parliamentary answer from July 2019 when the scheme was restricted to small and marginal farmers with land holdings below 2 hectares, the number of beneficiaries added up to 12.5 crores. With the expansion in the coverage, an additional estimated two crores’ farmers are expected to be covered. This takes the total eligible farmers to 14.5 Crore. After the extension, the eligible farmers stood at 14.5 Crores. However, considering the maximum number of beneficiaries receiving the benefits under the scheme till the 12 installment, only 10.45 Crore had received benefits, amounting to a shortfall of 28% below the estimated number. If we consider the latest number of the 12 installment, the number of beneficiaries comes up to 8.42 crore, the shortfall in the disbursal comes up to 42%. Lower registrations than the projected number of eligible farmers could be due to a variety of factors, including problems with initial estimates. Region-wise PM-KISAN beneficiaries To get a fair understanding of the share of beneficiaries in different states, a region-wise analysis is done. States have been categorized as per their geographical location. Northern Region includes states like Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Himachal Pradesh. The western Region includes states like Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Goa.