PM Kisan scheme: 21 lakh farmers picked in UP found ineligible

In a major revelation, under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme, 21 lakh farmers selected in Uttar Pradesh have been found ineligible in a probe, state Agriculture Minister Surya Pratap Shahi said on Wednesday. The amount given to those ineligible farmers so far under the scheme will be recovered from them, the minister added. 

A total of 2.85 crore farmers were selected under the Centre’s Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme in the state, out of which 21 lakh beneficiaries have been found ineligible, Shahi told reporters here.  While the verification of 1.71 crore beneficiaries has been completed, the verification of the remaining is underway, he added.There are many such cases in which both husband and wife are getting the benefit of this scheme, he said, adding those found ineligible included many who used to file income tax.

The minister said that the amount will be recovered from the ineligible farmers. Those found ineligible included many who used to file income tax. PM Kisan Samman Nidhi is a central programme that is fully funded by the Indian government. All land-holding farmer households are given an income supplement of Rs 6,000 per year in three equal payments under the programme.The beneficiaries' bank accounts receive a direct transfer of the funds. The programme was introduced on February 24, 2019, at Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, by Prime Minister Narendra Modi who distributed the first instalment of Rs 2,000 to over one crore farmers.