67.82 lakh farmers miss PM-KISAN scheme benefits

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SME Times News Bureau | 18 Mar, 2019
Over 67.82 lakh farmers will be left out of the direct benefit transfer (DBT) scheme as West Bengal, Sikkim and Delhi have not uploaded their details on the PM-KISAN portal, Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh said on Sunday.

The three states are besides Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya and Lakshadweep where funds have not been transferred to the eligible farmers as uploaded data has not been verified and request for fund release has not been made.

Singh said 67.11 lakh farmers in West Bengal would have received Rs 2,000 each had the state's availed the first installment of Rs 1,342 crore under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Nidhi (PM-KISAN).

Similarly, 55,090 farmers in Sikkim and 15,880 in Delhi could not receive their share from the Rs 11 crore and Rs 3 crore funds meant for them under the scheme.

In the interim Budget, the Narendra Modi government announced a direct income support of Rs 6,000 per year in three equal installments to 12.5 crore small and marginal farmers with land holding below two hectares or five acres under the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana.

The first round of payment for Rs 2,000 has to be made before the end of financial year 2018-19.

Singh said details of 4.71 crore farmers were uploaded by 33 states and Union Territories and 3.11 of them were found eligible after verification.

The first installment has been transferred to about 2.75 crore farmers and requests have been made for transfer to additional 22 lakh farmers, Singh said.

The Minister said details of 1.65 crore beneficiaries were sent back to states for correction, which is still pending with them, he added.

Over 40 per cent of the eligible farmers in Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Andhra Pradesh, Assam and Andaman & Nicobar have received the first installment, he said.

In Jammu & Kashmir, Dadra & Nagar Haveli, Telangana, Tamil Nadu too, the installment has been transferred to 25-40 per cent of the beneficiaries.