Loading…
A PIB Backgrounder marks seven years of the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Maandhan Yojana (PM-KMY), the contributory old-age pension scheme for small and marginal farmers.
Enrolment reached 24,96,252 farmers as on 6 February 2026, with Haryana leading at about 5.75 lakh and Bihar next at over 3.46 lakh.
₹540.66 crore had been utilised under the scheme since 2019, as on February 2026.
Subscribers pay ₹55 to ₹200 a month depending on entry age; the Centre matches every rupee and LIC manages the pension fund.
The assured pension is ₹3,000 a month from age 60, with a 50 per cent family pension of ₹1,500 for the surviving spouse.
Old-age income security for landholding small and marginal farmers
Key: Launched 12 September 2019; Central Sector Scheme of the Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare; LIC is pension fund manager; ₹3,000 a month at 60 on a 1:1 contribution
Old-age protection for unorganised-sector workers
Key: Launched 15 February 2019, Ministry of Labour and Employment; entry age 18-40, monthly income up to ₹15,000; ₹3,000 at 60; LIC-managed; barred to EPFO, ESIC and NPS members and income-tax payers
Old-age protection for small traders, shopkeepers and the self-employed
Key: Ministry of Labour and Employment, 2019; entry age 18-40, annual turnover up to ₹1.5 crore; ₹3,000 at 60; enrolment through Common Service Centres
Income support to landholding farmer families
Key: Launched 24 February 2019 from Gorakhpur, effective 1 December 2018; ₹6,000 a year in three ₹2,000 instalments; 100 per cent central funding; can fund PM-KMY contributions
Guaranteed pension for the unorganised sector at large
Key: Launched 9 May 2015, operational 1 June 2015; administered by PFRDA under the Department of Financial Services; entry age 18-40; slabs of ₹1,000 to ₹5,000 a month
| Aspect | PM-KMY | PM-SYM | NPS-Traders |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nodal ministry | Agriculture & Farmers Welfare | Labour and Employment | Labour and Employment |
| Target group | Small and marginal farmers | Unorganised-sector workers | Traders, shopkeepers, self-employed |
| Eligibility ceiling | Cultivable land up to 2 hectares | Monthly income up to ₹15,000 | Annual turnover up to ₹1.5 crore |
| Entry age and pension | 18-40; ₹3,000 a month at 60 | 18-40; ₹3,000 a month at 60 | 18-40; ₹3,000 a month at 60 |
| Year of launch | 2019 | 2019 | 2019 |
Pension fund manager for PM-KMY and PM-SYM; holds the corpus and pays the pension
Special Purpose Vehicle running the Common Service Centre network through Village Level Entrepreneurs; the enrolment channel for PM-KMY and NPS-Traders
Administers PM-KMY and PM-KISAN
Statutory regulator administering the Atal Pension Yojana and the National Pension System — PM-KMY is LIC-managed, not PFRDA-administered
An enrolment-cum-auto-debit mandate lets the pension contribution be deducted from the account receiving PM-KISAN money — one scheme funding another.
Barred: constitutional post holders, present and former legislators, government and PSE employees, income-tax payers, registered professionals. Exempted from the bar: Multi-Tasking Staff, Class IV and Group D employees.
A PM-SYM or Laghu Vyapari Maandhan beneficiary cannot also join PM-KMY — the three Maandhan schemes are mutually exclusive.
The other contributory pension for the unorganised sector, but PFRDA-regulated with slabs of ₹1,000-₹5,000 against PM-KMY's single ₹3,000.
GS Paper 2 > Governance > Welfare Schemes for Vulnerable Sections
General Awareness > Government Schemes
General Awareness > Financial Inclusion and Social Security Schemes
What is the age range for farmers to enrol in the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Maandhan Yojana (PM-KMY)?
Answer: 18-40 years
Regarding 'Atal Pension Yojana', which of the following statements is/are correct? 1. It is a minimum guaranteed pension scheme mainly targeted at unorganized sector workers. 2. Only one member of a family can join the scheme. 3. Same amount of pension is guaranteed for the spouse for life after subscriber's death. Select the correct answer using the code given below.
Answer: 1 and 3 only
A scheme funded entirely by the Union Government and implemented by a central agency, unlike a Centrally Sponsored Scheme where states share the cost.
For PM-KMY, a farmer with cultivable landholding up to 2 hectares as recorded in State or UT land records.
The operator of a Common Service Centre who verifies documents and completes online enrolment for citizens.
The pension payable to a surviving spouse — 50 per cent of the subscriber's pension, or ₹1,500 a month under PM-KMY.