In his first major action after assuming office for the third term, Prime Minister Narendra Modi released the 17th installment of the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana from Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, on Tuesday, June 18. In this installment, the government transferred a total of Rs 20,000 crore through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) to approximately 9.26 crore farmers across the nation. However, 2.62 lakh farmers from Gujarat have been excluded from receiving the Rs 2,000 benefit under this scheme.
According to the state government, these farmers were deemed ineligible for the scheme. It was discovered that some farmers were wrongly availing of the benefits despite not meeting the eligibility criteria. These irregularities included farmers filing Income Tax (IT) returns, couples claiming benefits, pensioners receiving the installment, and benefits being claimed by deceased farmers. As a result, the names of these 2.62 lakh farmers have been removed from the beneficiary list.
The state government has also announced plans to recover the funds from those who received the money improperly. Local gram sevaks will assist district administrations in the recovery process.
The Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme, which provides financial assistance to needy farmers from poor backgrounds, grants an installment of Rs 2,000 every four months. This latest installment marks the first release of funds under the scheme since Prime Minister Modi’s recent electoral victory.
Read Also: Controversy Erupts Over Sengol in Parliament; Akhilesh Yadav Criticizes PM Modi