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Apply for PM-KISAN Samman Nidhi (₹6,000/year) — full 2026 guide + RTI for stuck cases

PM-KISAN application — RTI Wiki guide

⚠️ DPDP Rules, 2025 (14 Nov 2025) amended Section 8(1)(j) of the RTI Act — public-interest override now under Section 8(2). Read the note →

· 2026/04/19 05:02

Plain-English summary. PM-KISAN gives every eligible landholding farmer family ₹6,000 a year in three ₹2,000 installments straight into the bank account linked to Aadhaar. Registration is free at pmkisan.gov.in, at the nearest Common Service Centre (CSC), or through your village Patwari/Lekhpal/Talathi. The two things that block 90% of cases in 2026 are e-KYC not done and land record not “seeded” to your name. This page walks you through registration, status check, what to do if installments stop, and a copy-paste RTI for when the Tehsildar's office sits on your file.

Sunita's story — "Three installments missing, fixed in 31 days with one RTI"

Sunita Devi, 47, marginal farmer from Madhubani district, Bihar. Owns 0.8 acres in her late husband's name (mutated to her in 2022). PM-KISAN registered in 2019, received installments regularly until the 14th. The 15th, 16th and 17th installments — ₹6,000 in total — never arrived. The CSC operator told her “your e-KYC is failing, do it on your phone”. She doesn't own a smartphone.

“My neighbour's son helped me check pmkisan.gov.in. It said 'eKYC pending' and 'Land seeding — No'. I went to the Block Agriculture Officer in Jhanjharpur three times. He said 'go to Patwari'. The Patwari said 'go to BAO'. Nobody would tell me what was actually wrong. My nephew helped me write an RTI on 18 January 2026 to the Tehsildar's PIO asking for the land seeding status of khasra 247/2 and the file noting on my PM-KISAN database update. Reply came on 18 February — exactly 31 days. The Tehsildar's PIO had attached the file: my late husband's old khata number was still in the central database, even though the local Bhulekh portal had updated. The Tehsildar's office had to push a manual correction request to NIC. It went through in 9 days. The 18th installment of ₹2,000 hit my account on 28 February. The arrears for installments 15-17 — ₹6,000 — came on 11 March. Total recovery: ₹8,000.”

—Sunita, March 2026

Who is eligible (and who is excluded) in 2026

The 6 steps

Step 1 — Check whether your village is "Patwari-eligible" or "self-registration"

PM-KISAN allows two registration paths:

If self-registration fails with “Land details mismatch”, switch to Patwari/CSC route.

Step 2 — Documents to keep ready

Step 3 — Complete e-KYC

This is mandatory and the #1 reason installments stop. Three ways:

Step 4 — Land seeding

After registration, your land record must be “seeded” — the central PM-KISAN database must match the state land record. This is done by the Tehsildar/SDM office (not by you). Status visible at pmkisan.gov.in → “Beneficiary Status” — look for “Land seeding: Yes/No”. If “No” for more than 30 days, that's where the RTI goes (see Step 6).

Step 5 — Track installments

Three installments per year — typically April-July (Apr-Jul = 16th in 2024 series), August-November, December-March. Status: pmkisan.gov.in → “Beneficiary Status” → enter Aadhaar/account/mobile.

Step 6 — If installments stop, file an RTI

The PIO is the Tehsildar / Mandal Revenue Officer (rural) or the Block Development Officer depending on state. The Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare (DA&FW) at Krishi Bhavan, New Delhi, is the central PIO for the scheme itself — for state-level errors, file with the state agriculture department PIO at the Block/Tehsil.

Template — RTI for stuck PM-KISAN installments

[Your full name]
[Your village, post, district, state, PIN]
[Mobile] · [Aadhaar last 4 digits — XXXX-XXXX-1234]
[Date]

To,
The Public Information Officer
Office of the Tehsildar / Mandal Revenue Officer
[Tehsil / Mandal name], [District], [State]

Subject: Application under the Right to Information Act, 2005 regarding stuck PM-KISAN Samman Nidhi installments — Beneficiary ID [ID if known] / Aadhaar last 4 digits XXXX

Sir/Madam,

Under Section 6(1) of the Right to Information Act, 2005, I, [Name], a registered PM-KISAN beneficiary (Beneficiary ID [if known], registered on [date]), respectfully request the following information:

1. The current status of land seeding for khasra/survey number [number] in village [village], tehsil [tehsil], in the central PM-KISAN database — including the date of the last sync between the state land record portal and the PM-KISAN database.

2. The reason recorded in the file for non-disbursal of installments [list installment numbers and dates expected, e.g., "16th installment due July 2025, 17th installment due November 2025, 18th installment due March 2026"] for my account.

3. The name and designation of the dealing officer responsible for processing land seeding for my khasra in the past 6 months.

4. A photocopy of the file noting on my case from the date of last successful disbursal until today, including any objection, query or discrepancy raised.

5. The expected date by which the discrepancy will be corrected and the pending installments released.

I enclose a fee of Rs. 10/- by [Court Fee Stamp / IPO No. — / Cash receipt — ] as per Rule [your state RTI Rules, e.g., Bihar RTI Rules 2006].

Yours faithfully,
[Signature]
[Name]

Common mistakes to avoid

Pro tips

FAQs

Q. I am a tenant farmer. Can I still apply? No, current rules require titled ownership in your or family's name. Some states (TG, KE) run parallel “Rythu Bandhu”-style schemes that include tenants — check your state agriculture portal.

Q. My father passed away. Can I get PM-KISAN on his land? Yes, after mutation in your name. Until the land record is updated, you cannot register. See RTI for stuck mutation for the speed-up route.

Q. Can I apply if I work in the city and family farms back home? Yes, if the land is in your or your family's name and you are not a serving/retired Group A/B govt employee, MP/MLA, professional with ICAI/Bar/Council membership actively practising, or income-tax payer in the last assessment year.

Q. My Aadhaar mobile is old. Can I still do e-KYC? Use biometric e-KYC at a CSC (₹15) or face authentication via the PM Kisan Mobile App. Both bypass the OTP requirement.

Q. Will I get arrears if installments were missed? Yes — once the discrepancy is corrected and your account is restored to “Active”, all missed installments are paid as arrears in a single transfer.

Conclusion

PM-KISAN is one of the most reliable cash transfers India runs — but the moment a single field in the central database doesn't match your state land record, payment stops with no notification. The RTI route forces the Tehsildar to put the actual reason in writing and acts as a 30-day deadline that the Patwari/SDM cannot quietly ignore. ₹10 of court-fee stamp has unblocked tens of thousands of files since 2020.

Sources

Last reviewed: 27 April 2026.

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