I am a registered PM-KISAN beneficiary but I have not received instalments for several months. Where should I file the RTI?

PM-KISAN payments flow from the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare (Central) through the PFMS (Public Financial Management System) directly to the farmer's Aadhaar-linked bank account. A payment failure can occur at several levels: (1) e-KYC not completed — from January 2023, e-KYC is mandatory; without it, instalments are not released regardless of registration; (2) Aadhaar not seeded in the bank account — PFMS transfers require DBT (Direct Benefit Transfer) linkage; (3) Bank account number mismatch; (4) The farmer's record is flagged by the state for reverification. Check your status first at pmkisan.gov.in → Beneficiary Status. If the portal shows a pending issue, file RTI with your District Agriculture Office asking specifically about the reason for non-payment and the correction procedure. If the portal shows payments released but not credited to your account, file RTI with the bank.

My family has agricultural land but we were excluded from PM-KISAN. Can RTI tell us why?

Yes. PM-KISAN has specific exclusion categories under the Operational Guidelines: institutional landholders, current or former holders of constitutional posts, serving/retired officers of Central/State Government of Group A/B rank, persons who paid income tax in the last assessment year, professionals (doctors, engineers, lawyers, CAs), and retired employees drawing pension above ₹10,000/month. If a farmer believes they were incorrectly excluded, RTI can establish: (1) whether the farmer's name was registered and then removed — and on which date; (2) the specific exclusion criterion applied; (3) whether any notice was issued before exclusion. The RTI creates a written basis for filing a rectification application with the District Agriculture Office or for approaching the PM-KISAN grievance cell.

My PM-KISAN e-KYC is showing as pending. I cannot complete it online. Can RTI help?

RTI cannot complete your e-KYC — that requires either a biometric OTP-based process at a CSC (Common Service Centre) or face authentication on the PM-KISAN app. However, if you have attempted e-KYC and it is still showing pending despite your efforts, RTI can establish: (1) whether the PM-KISAN database shows a pending e-KYC for your registration; (2) whether any technical error or mismatch is recorded against your Aadhaar; (3) the procedure and available offline e-KYC method for farmers who cannot complete it online. With the RTI response in hand, you can approach the District Agriculture Office for assisted e-KYC completion at a CSC.

Who implements PM-KISAN and which level of government should I approach for a correction?

PM-KISAN is a Central Government scheme but is implemented through state governments and district agriculture offices. The flow is: farmer registration is done by Patwari / Revenue officials / Agriculture field officers at the village level → verified and uploaded by the District Agriculture Office → state government forwards data to the Ministry → Ministry releases funds via PFMS to farmer accounts. For corrections (wrong bank account, Aadhaar update, name correction), approach the Block Agriculture Officer or District Agriculture Office — they have access to the PM-KISAN portal and can make corrections. RTI at the district level is most effective for getting a written status response and identifying the blockage. RTI at the Ministry level is useful for policy clarifications and scheme-wide data.

Where does the second appeal go for PM-KISAN RTIs?

It depends on which level you filed with. If you filed RTI with the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare (Ministry level) through rtionline.gov.in, the second appeal goes to the Central Information Commission (CIC). If you filed RTI with the State Agriculture Department or District Agriculture Office through the state RTI portal, the second appeal goes to your State Information Commission. For most individual payment or beneficiary status queries, file at the district level first — it is faster and more likely to get a relevant, specific response. Escalate to Ministry level if the state/district office does not respond or the issue involves a Central policy question.

Home/Guides/How to File RTI for PM-KISAN — Payment Delay, Beneficiary Status and Rejection

Central Government

How to File RTI for PM-KISAN — Payment Delay, Beneficiary Status and Rejection

Step-by-step guide to file an RTI for PM Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) payment delays, rejection from the beneficiary list, instalment not credited, wrong bank account, and exclusion from the scheme. Covers both PM-KISAN Central portal (Ministry of Agriculture) and State/District Agriculture Office level. Includes a ready-to-use sample RTI draft.

Updated 24 May 2026

Quick Facts

MinistryMinistry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare

Address RTI ToCPIO, Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, New Delhi / PIO of State Agriculture Department / District Agriculture Office

Application Fee₹10 under RTI (Regulation of Fee and Cost) Rules, 2005. Free for BPL cardholders.

Response Time30 days from receipt (Section 7(1), RTI Act 2005). 48 hours if the matter involves life or liberty.

File Online Athttps://rtionline.gov.in

All information on this page is based on the Right to Information Act, 2005 (Act No. 22 of 2005) and the RTI (Regulation of Fee and Cost) Rules, 2005. First Appeal: Section 19(1). Second Appeal to CIC/SIC: Section 19(3).

The PM Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) is a Central Government scheme under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare that provides an income support of ₹6,000 per year (in three instalments of ₹2,000 each) to all eligible landholding farmer families across India. Launched in 2019, the scheme transfers funds directly to Aadhaar-linked bank accounts via DBT (Direct Benefit Transfer) through PFMS.

Despite the direct-transfer design, PM-KISAN payments are frequently blocked due to e-KYC failures, Aadhaar-bank account seeding issues, incorrect beneficiary data, or erroneous exclusion from the beneficiary list. RTI is an effective tool to obtain an official written response identifying the specific reason for non-payment and the corrective step required.

PM-KISAN Eligibility and Exclusion Categories

Eligible: All landholding farmer families (where any member holds cultivable land) who are not in the excluded categories.

Excluded (per PM-KISAN Operational Guidelines):

Institutional landholders
Former/current constitutional post holders (President, MP, MLA, Minister)
Serving/retired officers of Central/State Government (Group A and B)
Professionals — doctors, engineers, lawyers, chartered accountants, architects registered with professional bodies
Persons who paid income tax in the last assessment year
Retired employees drawing monthly pension ≥ ₹10,000

If you believe you were incorrectly excluded, RTI can confirm the specific criterion applied.

Why PM-KISAN Payments Fail: Common Reasons

Failure Reason	What RTI Can Establish
e-KYC not completed	Whether pending e-KYC is the block and the available offline procedure
Aadhaar not seeded in bank account	Whether DBT linkage failure is the cause
Bank account number mismatch	Whether a correction request is on record and its status
PFMS transfer failure / bank rejection	Whether funds were released and returned
Beneficiary flagged for reverification	Why flagged and what verification is pending
Erroneous exclusion	The specific exclusion criterion applied — correct or not

Check Before You RTI

Before filing RTI, check pmkisan.gov.in → Beneficiary Status — enter your Aadhaar number or registration number to see the payment status and any error flags. This tells you whether the problem is e-KYC, bank linkage, or an exclusion — so your RTI can be precisely targeted at the actual blocker.

Where to File

For individual payment/status issues: File with the District Agriculture Office through your state's RTI portal. The district office has direct access to PM-KISAN records and is the most responsive level for individual queries.

For state-level aggregated data or policy implementation: File with the State Agriculture Department through the state RTI portal.

For policy-level information, Ministry data, or Central-level processing questions: File on rtionline.gov.in → Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare → Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.

What Specific Information Can You Ask For?

Beneficiary status:

Current PM-KISAN registration status of Farmer Name, Aadhaar last 4 digits, Village Name — active beneficiary, pending, or rejected/excluded
If excluded — the specific exclusion criterion under the Operational Guidelines, date of exclusion, and whether a notice was issued

Payment history and failures: 3. Instalments released to Registration No. XXX — dates, amounts, and PFMS transaction references for each; for any unpaid instalment, the reason 4. Whether e-KYC is completed for this registration — if not, the specific error and the available correction method 5. Whether a PFMS transfer failure or bank rejection is recorded — the reason and the status of any re-transfer attempt

Scheme data: 6. Total PM-KISAN beneficiaries in Village / Block / District for the current financial year and the number with successful transfers vs. pending/failed

Appeals

First Appeal (Section 19(1)): File with the FAA at the relevant authority (District Agriculture Office / State Agriculture Dept / Ministry) within 30 days of the date of decision or expiry of the 30-day response period, whichever is applicable.

Second Appeal (Section 19(3)): For Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare RTIs — file with the Central Information Commission (CIC) within 90 days. For state/district authority RTIs — file with your State Information Commission.

Sample RTI Application Draft

To,
The Public Information Officer (PIO),
[District Agriculture Office / State Agriculture Department]
[OR: CPIO, Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Krishi Bhawan, New Delhi – 110001]

Subject: Application under the Right to Information Act, 2005 — PM-KISAN Beneficiary Status, Payment Delay and Rejection Reason

Sir/Madam,

I, [Your Full Name], farmer residing at [Village, Block, District, State], submit this application under Section 6 of the Right to Information Act, 2005, to seek the following information:

PM-KISAN details:
  Farmer's Full Name: [Full Name]
  PM-KISAN Registration / Application Number: [Registration No., if available]
  Aadhaar Number (last 4 digits only): [XXXX]
  Bank Account Number linked to PM-KISAN: [Account No.]
  Village: [Name]
  Block / Taluka: [Name]
  District and State: [Name]

Information sought:

1. The current status of the PM-KISAN registration of [Farmer Name], Aadhaar [last 4 digits], Village [Name], District [Name] — specifically whether this farmer is registered as an active beneficiary, pending verification, or has been rejected / excluded from the scheme.

2. If the farmer has been rejected or excluded — the specific reason for rejection, the ineligibility criterion under the PM-KISAN Operational Guidelines on which exclusion is based, and whether the farmer was notified of the rejection.

3. Details of instalments that have been released to this farmer — the dates, amounts, and the transaction reference for each instalment transferred. If any instalment has not been transferred, the specific reason and the stage at which it is pending (e.g., Aadhaar seeding failure, e-KYC pending, wrong account number, PFMS transfer failure).

4. Whether an e-KYC has been completed for the above farmer's PM-KISAN registration — if not, the status of the pending e-KYC and the procedure to complete it.

5. If the payment is failing due to bank account or Aadhaar seeding issues — whether a correction request has been received and the status of the correction.

6. The total number of PM-KISAN beneficiaries registered in [Village Name / Block Name / District Name] for the current financial year, and the number whose instalments have been successfully transferred vs. pending or failed.

I am enclosing the application fee of Rs. 10 [via online payment; Reference No.: [Payment Ref]].

I request the above information within 30 days as required under Section 7(1) of the RTI Act, 2005.

Yours sincerely,

[Your Full Name]
[Your Complete Address]
Phone: [Your 10-digit Mobile Number]
Email: [[email protected]]
Date: [DD/MM/YYYY]

Replace all text in [square brackets] with your actual details before filing. Do not include the brackets in your submission.

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