Tamil Nadu’s PM-Kisan beneficiary count has fallen by 23.37 lakh, or about 52 per cent, from its 2020 peak, according to an RTI reply from the state Agriculture Department. Around 21.57 lakh beneficiaries received the April–July 2026 instalment, compared with 44.94 lakh in August–November 2020.Funds released fell from Rs 898.74 crore to Rs 427.12 crore between these payment periods, a decline of Rs 471.62 crore, or about 52.5 per cent.The records show that the decline began under the AIADMK government led by Edappadi K Palaniswami, before the DMK took office in May 2021.

The sharpest subsequent fall came in 2022, during the MK Stalin-led government. The figures alone do not establish the reasons for the decline.DECLINE BEGAN BEFORE CHANGE OF GOVERNMENTAfter reaching 44.94 lakh in August–November 2020, the beneficiary count fell to 38.23 lakh in December 2020–March 2021, while the AIADMK was still in power.

The number stood at 37.34 lakh in December 2021–March 2022. By December 2022–March 2023, it had fallen to 20.52 lakh, a reduction of about 45 per cent between those payment periods.A single instalment accounted for a substantial part of that fall.

Between April–July and August–November 2022, the count dropped from 32.28 lakh to 22.27 lakh, about 10 lakh fewer beneficiaries in one payment cycle.LIMITED RECOVERY AFTER 2022 Beneficiary numbers recovered in some later instalments but remained well below the peak. The April–July 2026 count was only about 5.1 per cent higher than the 20.52 lakh recorded in December 2022–March 2023.It was also about 21.6 per cent below the 27.52 lakh beneficiaries recorded in the first instalment listed, covering December 2018–March 2019.The latest two instalments showed little change, with the count edging down from 21,57,000 to 21,56,777.

This suggests that beneficiary numbers had broadly stabilised towards the end of the disclosed period, but at a substantially lower level.The decline in funds released broadly tracked the reduction in beneficiaries. The Agriculture Department reported cumulative releases of Rs 13,611.84 crore across the 23 instalments covered by the RTI reply.- Ends