Despite Aadhaar Verification, Rs 2,589 Cr Of PM-KISAN Scheme Funds Transferred To Ineligible Beneficiaries: RTI

Nearly Rs 2,589.23 crore of the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) funds have been transferred to the accounts of ineligible farmers. Since the scheme's inception in December 2018, an RTI report revealed this has happened. Despite the government's assurances of transparency and depositing funds to the correct beneficiaries, the report comes.

District Authorities Aware Of Ineligible Farmers

According to the National Herald report, the information came to light in responses to queries sought under the RTI Act by rights activist Avinandan Jana. The report states that the Agriculture Department has identified two groups as unacceptable recipients – ineligible farmers and income tax payee farmers.

Jana said that the district authorities knew the ineligible farmers named on the list.

States With Max. Ineligible Individuals

Uttar Pradesh recorded the maximum number of ineligible farmers. Till February 2022, the state has 14.9 lakh such individuals from whom Rs 98 crores have to be recovered.

Assam has the highest amount to be recovered, about Rs 768.3 crores from 13.35 lakh ineligible farmers.

Tamil Nadu is third in the list, with 8.3 lakh ineligible farmers, from whom ₹85 crores have to be recovered. Karnataka has about 2.4 lakh such farmers, but Rs 123 crores have to be recovered from them.

Up next is Madhya Pradesh, where there are 2.3 lakh ineligible farmers, and the government has to recover around Rs191 crores from them.

No. Of Wrong Beneficiaries

The RTI report has listed 11.7 crore farmers on the beneficiary list, of which 58.08 lakh do not qualify for the scheme. Among them, around 13.73 lakh (24 per cent) are income tax payees, from whom the authorities have to recover Rs 1,067 crores.

Speaking to the media, Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan member Nachiket Udupa said that the RTI shows that the Aadhaar card linkage made mandatory was scheme didn't stop ineligible persons from claiming benefits of the welfare schemes.

The report raises questions about how the tax-paying individuals are the primary beneficiaries of the scheme despite liking the identity card, he added.

"This happened to the extent that even the former Director-General of UIDAI, Ram Sewak Sharma, has admitted that, although ineligible, even he received benefits under PM-KISAN," Udupa told NH.

State Govt To Take Onus

Responding to the query, the Agriculture Ministry told the Rajya Sabha that identifying beneficiaries of the scheme verifying data on the PM-KISAN portal was the state government's responsibility.

PM-KISAN Scheme- Who Is Eligible?

Under the scheme, the beneficiaries are provided with an annual sum of Rs 6,000 in equal instalments. A family is defined as husband, wife and minor children for the scheme.

PM-KISAN Scheme- Who Is Not Eligible?

The scheme states that institutional landholders and farmer families, where at least one member is an income taxpayer, are not eligible to become a beneficiary.

Besides, former and present constitutional posts holders, politicians, Mayors and employees of civic bodies, District Panchayat chairpersons, serving and retired employees of Central and State Governments, Central and state public sector enterprises and individual institutions under the government, Class IV and Group D employees, and other pensioners are ineligible for the scheme.

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