Welcome to the Ujiyari Rajasthan Current Affairs notes for 1 August 2026, prepared for RPSC, RAS and other State PCS aspirants. The Union Cabinet’s decision on 31 July 2026 to extend PM-KISAN through 2030-31 has direct consequences for Rajasthan, which layers its own Mukhyamantri Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana on top of the central transfer. We cover that, and the state’s micro-irrigation subsidy framework, which is background policy rather than fresh news but is directly relevant to the same farm-support question. Extensive search found no third well-verified, distinct Rajasthan development for this specific date; rather than pad the edition, we cover these two in depth. Each item is paired with a Prelims fact table and a Mains angle, followed by four practice MCQs.
1. PM-KISAN Extension and Rajasthan’s Mukhyamantri Kisan Samman Nidhi Top-Up
Why in News: The Union Cabinet on 31 July 2026 approved continuation of the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi through 2030-31 with an outlay of Rs 3.15 lakh crore, a decision that directly determines the base on which Rajasthan’s own state top-up operates.
Background: PM-KISAN provides eligible landholding farmer families Rs 6,000 a year from the Centre, delivered in instalments through Direct Benefit Transfer. Rajasthan supplements this through the Mukhyamantri Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana, adding a state contribution of Rs 3,000 a year and taking the combined annual support for an eligible Rajasthan farmer to Rs 9,000. The state scheme covers roughly 72 lakh farmers. The arrangement illustrates a broader feature of Indian fiscal federalism: a centrally designed transfer establishes a national floor, and states with the fiscal room and political incentive to do so layer additional support on top, producing real variation in what an identically-placed farmer receives depending on the state they farm in. The design also inherits the central scheme’s principal limitation, since eligibility in both the central and the state component remains linked to landholding, meaning tenant farmers and landless agricultural labourers fall outside both.
Rajasthan Relevance:
- Prelims: Central PM-KISAN provides Rs 6,000 a year; Rajasthan’s Mukhyamantri Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana adds Rs 3,000, taking the total to Rs 9,000 a year; the state scheme covers roughly 72 lakh farmers; the Union Cabinet extended the central scheme to 2030-31 with a Rs 3.15 lakh crore outlay on 31 July 2026; delivery is via Direct Benefit Transfer; eligibility is landholding-linked.
- Mains: Examine the state-supplement model in centrally designed income-transfer schemes, and whether it improves adequacy or entrenches inter-state inequality in farmer support.
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Central scheme | Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN), Rs 6,000 a year |
| State scheme | Mukhyamantri Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana, Rs 3,000 a year |
| Combined annual support | Rs 9,000 per eligible farmer |
| State scheme coverage | Roughly 72 lakh farmers |
| Central extension | Approved 31 July 2026; to 2030-31; outlay Rs 3.15 lakh crore |
| Eligibility basis | Landholding-linked; excludes tenant farmers and landless labourers |
2. Rajasthan’s Micro-Irrigation Subsidy Framework
Why in News: Rajasthan’s micro-irrigation subsidy regime, funded in the state Budget 2026-27 presented in February 2026, remains the state’s principal instrument for improving agricultural water-use efficiency, and is directly relevant to the farm-support debate reopened by the PM-KISAN extension.
Background: Micro-irrigation, principally drip and sprinkler systems, delivers water to the plant root zone rather than flooding a field, substantially reducing water use per unit of output. Under the Rajasthan Micro Irrigation Mission, the state provides a subsidy of 70 per cent for general farmers and 75 per cent for small and marginal, Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe and women farmers, on holdings between 0.2 and 5 hectares, applied for through the Raj Kisan Saathi portal. These rates are substantially above the national base rates under the Per Drop More Crop component, which are 55 per cent for small and marginal farmers and 45 per cent for others. The case for the state’s higher rates is unusually strong in Rajasthan: the state is among India’s most arid, its agriculture depends heavily on groundwater in regions where the water table is under sustained stress, and the principal barrier to adoption is the upfront capital cost of installation, which small and marginal farmers typically cannot finance even where the running savings would justify it.
Note on scheme architecture: the Per Drop More Crop (PDMC) component, which funds micro-irrigation nationally, sat under the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana only from 2015-16 to 2021-22. Since 2022-23 it has been implemented under the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) by the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare. PMKSY under the Ministry of Jal Shakti now comprises the Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme, Har Khet Ko Pani and the Watershed Development Component. This is a frequently-tested distinction that older study material still gets wrong.
Rajasthan Relevance:
- Prelims: Rajasthan Micro Irrigation Mission subsidy is 70 per cent (general) and 75 per cent (small/marginal, SC, ST, women); holdings 0.2 to 5 hectares; applied through the Raj Kisan Saathi portal; national PDMC base rates are 55 per cent (small/marginal) and 45 per cent (others); PDMC moved from PMKSY to RKVY in 2022-23.
- Mains: Discuss why upfront capital cost, rather than awareness or running economics, is the binding constraint on micro-irrigation adoption among small and marginal farmers, and how subsidy design addresses it.
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Scheme | Rajasthan Micro Irrigation Mission |
| Subsidy, general farmers | 70 per cent |
| Subsidy, small/marginal, SC, ST, women farmers | 75 per cent |
| Eligible holding size | 0.2 to 5 hectares |
| Application portal | Raj Kisan Saathi |
| National PDMC base rates | 55 per cent (small/marginal), 45 per cent (others) |
| PDMC parent scheme since 2022-23 | Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY), not PMKSY |
Practice MCQs
1. Including the state government’s supplement, what is the total annual PM-KISAN support available to an eligible farmer in Rajasthan, and under which state scheme?
a) Rs 7,500, under the Rajasthan Kisan Kalyan Yojana b) Rs 9,000, under the Mukhyamantri Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana c) Rs 12,000, under the Rajasthan Krishak Sahayata Yojana d) Rs 6,000, with no state supplement
Answer: b
Explanation: The Centre’s PM-KISAN provides Rs 6,000 a year, and Rajasthan’s Mukhyamantri Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana adds Rs 3,000, taking combined annual support to Rs 9,000 for roughly 72 lakh farmers in the state.
2. On what date did the Union Cabinet approve the continuation of PM-KISAN through 2030-31?
a) 15 July 2026 b) 31 July 2026 c) 1 August 2026 d) 3 August 2026
Answer: b
Explanation: The Union Cabinet approved the continuation of PM-KISAN from 2026-27 through 2030-31, with an outlay of Rs 3.15 lakh crore, on 31 July 2026, alongside other major scheme approvals including Samudra Manthan and the PM Surya Sarovar Yojana.
3. Under the Rajasthan Micro Irrigation Mission, what subsidy is available to small and marginal, SC, ST and women farmers?
a) 45 per cent b) 55 per cent c) 75 per cent d) 90 per cent
Answer: c
Explanation: Rajasthan provides 75 per cent to small and marginal, Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe and women farmers, and 70 per cent to general farmers, on holdings between 0.2 and 5 hectares. Both rates are above the national Per Drop More Crop base rates of 55 per cent for small and marginal farmers and 45 per cent for others.
4. Since 2022-23, the Per Drop More Crop (PDMC) component funding micro-irrigation has been implemented under which scheme?
a) Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana b) Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana c) Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana d) National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture
Answer: b
Explanation: Per Drop More Crop was part of PMKSY only from 2015-16 to 2021-22; since 2022-23 it has been implemented under the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana by the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare. PMKSY under the Ministry of Jal Shakti now comprises the Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme, Har Khet Ko Pani and the Watershed Development Component.
