15k ‘ghost beneficiaries’ of PM-KISAN scheme in UP

PROBE LAUNCHED

15k ‘ghost beneficiaries’ of PM-KISAN scheme in UP

Deepak.Lavania@timesgroup.com

Agra:  28.08.2020

The district administration in UP’s Firozabad has launched a probe after a survey done by the agriculture and revenue departments couldn’t find at least 15,000 farmers who have been availing benefits under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) scheme. The Centre’s ambitious scheme provides farmers a financial assistance of ₹6,000 per year in three equal installments. All those farmers whose total cultivable holding is up to two hectares are eligible. Recently, the Centre had decided to extend the benefit of this scheme to all 14.5 crore farmers, irrespective of the size of their landholding.

During a routine checking of accounts of the beneficiaries, some government officials in Firozabad grew suspicious as a lot of the “farmers” hadn’t given their Aadhaar card details. A probe followed and hundreds of employees of the agriculture and revenue departments hit the streets to meet these beneficiaries at the addresses given in the records. To their shock, the officials could not find 15,000 beneficiaries at their given addresses. And every one of them had already availed the three installments of ₹2,000 each. According to agriculture department officials, there were 2 lakh beneficiaries of the PM Kisan scheme in Firozabad by the end of March 2020.

To get the money, farmers were required to first make an online application. They also had to submit copies of land records, passbook and Aadhaar card. Farmers not having Aadhaar card were also allowed to apply for the scheme.

District agriculture officer Ravikant said, “Around 15,000 beneficiaries of the PM Kisan scheme were found missing during the physical verification process. They have been blacklisted. Bank details of all these people are being investigated. Legal action will be taken against those found involved in malpractices.”