PM Kisan Yojana: Only 30 Lakhs Farmers in UP Have Completed eKYC; Others Taking Benefits Illegally

According to agriculture department officials in Uttar Pradesh, only 30 lakhs of around 2.60 crore farmers have completed the process to register under PM-Kisan Yojana so far and a large number of farmers are taking the benefits despite being ineligible.

HT in September last year reported that the Government has identified (till October 2021) 7.23 lakh farmers in Uttar Pradesh as having received cash benefits under Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi despite being income-tax payees or being ineligible otherwise. Around 42.73 lakh ineligible farmers are taking benefit of the scheme throughout the country.

An agriculture department official informed that during the verification it had been noticed that in many cases in UP, both husband and wife had registered themselves separately under the scheme. The official said, “This is not permissible under the guidelines. The ineligible beneficiaries will be detected and removed once they complete the e-KYC”.

It must be noted that the Centre has made it compulsory for farmers registered under the PM-Kisan to complete their e-KYC to get benefits under the scheme.

Another official said that “Farmers registered under the scheme must get their e-KYC done before 31 May 2022, failing which they will not get the next instalment under the scheme”. He told that despite the fact that the Agri Department had started a state-wide drive asking farmers to update their e-KYC, it is a difficult task as only 28 lakh farmers (out of 2.60 crores) registered under the scheme had completed the e-KYC till last month.

He said that “The idea behind the e-KYC is to ensure that only farmers eligible get benefits of the scheme”.

The official also said, “A majority of farmers in the state would have been deprived of the next installment that may be released any day in April, had the government not extended the deadline for completing e-KYC”.

Under PM-Kisan scheme that was launched in the year 2019, eligible farmers regardless of the size of their landholdings receive financial assistance of Rs. 6,000 annually in three equal instalments of Rs. 2000 each. The money is sent directly to the beneficiaries bank accounts.