SRINAGAR: The Union Government has disbursed more than Rs 4.09 lakh crore to farmers through 21 instalments since the launch of the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) scheme, the Lok Sabha was informed on Tuesday.
In a written reply during Question Hour, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said PM-KISAN is an entitlement-based scheme, under which every eligible farmer family is entitled to receive benefits. He clarified that there is no State-wise target for enrolment of beneficiaries and no State-wise budgetary allocation under the scheme.
The Minister said that States and Union Territories are responsible for identifying and verifying eligible beneficiaries and uploading error-free data, including land records, Aadhaar seeding with bank accounts and completion of e-KYC, to ensure smooth transfer of funds.
According to the data shared, a total of 1,32,60,543 farmers have been registered under PM-KISAN so far, of whom 1,16,89,180 have received financial assistance under the scheme.
However, the government informed that 13,41,632 registered farmers did not receive the benefit due to various deficiencies, primarily non-compliance with mandatory verification requirements such as land record seeding or linking of Aadhaar with the beneficiary’s bank account.
The Minister said the verification process is crucial to ensure transparency and prevent ineligible claims under the flagship income support scheme for farmers.
