Kisan Credit Card Scheme

KCC is a revolving credit facility from banks that gives farmers a single card and credit line for crop production, post-harvest expenses, and working capital for allied activities like animal husbandry, dairy and fisheries — instead of a fresh loan application every season.

Individual farmers and joint borrowers who are owner-cultivators; tenant farmers, oral lessees and sharecroppers; and Self Help Groups (SHGs) or Joint Liability Groups (JLGs) of farmers, including those formed by tenant farmers and sharecroppers. Farmers in animal husbandry, dairy, poultry, fisheries and beekeeping have also been covered since 2018-19.

Short-term loans up to ₹3 lakh carry a 1.5% interest subvention to the bank, bringing the rate to 7% a year. Farmers who repay on time get a further 3% Prompt Repayment Incentive, which brings their effective rate down to 4%.

You lose the 3% Prompt Repayment Incentive, so the loan reverts to the higher subvented rate (around 7%) rather than the 4% available to on-time repayers. Interest subvention benefits generally apply only within the loan’s sanctioned repayment period set by the bank.

Yes, up to ₹2 lakh per borrower — this collateral-free limit was raised from ₹1.6 lakh with effect from 1 January 2025. Above ₹2 lakh, the bank may require security at its discretion.

The Union Budget 2025-26 raised the MISS crop-loan ceiling and the fisheries/allied-activity credit ceiling to ₹5 lakh. The actual limit for any individual farmer is computed by the bank from the scale of finance for the crop/area, with roughly 10% escalation built in for each of the five years of validity.

Five years, with an annual review by the bank. The review can continue the facility, enhance the limit, or reduce/withdraw it depending on your cropping pattern and repayment record.

Yes. The Government of India extended KCC to animal husbandry and fisheries farmers starting 2018-19, so working capital for dairy, poultry, fisheries and beekeeping is covered alongside crop loans.

Visit the nearest commercial, regional rural or cooperative bank branch, or an authorised Common Service Centre (CSC). Fill the one-page KCC form (pre-filled from your PM-KISAN bank records if you are a beneficiary), attach your land record and crop details, and the bank is expected to sanction, enhance or activate your card within 14 days.

An identity proof (Aadhaar, Voter ID, driving licence, PAN or passport), address proof, a land record or tenancy proof, crop/activity details, a bank account, Aadhaar linkage, and a passport-size photograph for the card.

Yes. The scheme explicitly covers tenant farmers, oral lessees and sharecroppers, either individually or through Self Help Groups and Joint Liability Groups formed by them.

KCC holders can be covered under the Personal Accident Insurance Scheme (PAIS), added to the scheme on 14 June 2001, and can also route asset, health or other available insurance premiums through the KCC account, with the premium borne by the farmer or bank as per the applicable scheme terms.

Where a calamity is officially declared, banks may restructure the affected loan and waive interest on it for up to a year — extendable to five years for severe calamities — as part of relief measures.

Aadhaar linkage to the KCC account is mandatory for the bank to claim interest subvention and the Prompt Repayment Incentive on your behalf, so in practice it is required to get the concessional interest rate.

There is no single dedicated KCC helpline — raise it first with the branch and its grievance cell, or at a Block Level Bankers’ Committee (BLBC)/District Consultative Committee (DCC) meeting through the Lead District Manager. If unresolved, you can complain to the bank’s internal ombudsman and then the RBI under the Reserve Bank – Integrated Ombudsman Scheme, toll-free 14448.