In UP, 75 lakh farmers wait for poll code to end to get first installment

Nearly 75 lakh poor farmers in Uttar Pradesh will have to wait for the model code of conduct to end on May 23 to get the first installment of direct cash transfer scheme —PM Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana.

This is when 1.45 crore farmers — including 1.3 crore who have already got the first installment —will get their second installment of ₹2,000 credited to their bank account anytime soon, irrespective of the Lok Sabha polling process.

Under the scheme launched nationally from Gorakhpur on February 23, the Central government provides ₹6,000 income support for small and marginal farmers by transferring ₹2,000 directly to their bank accounts every four months.

While the state agriculture department had verified data of only 1.47 lakh of the total 2.21 crore small and marginal farmers in UP before the announcement of code of conduct on March 10, it could transfer the first installment only to 1.3 crore farmers.

“Another around 44 lakhs farmers will get the first installment by March 31 after their bank and Aadhar details are corrected,” additional director, agriculture (statistics), Rajesh Gupta said.

The remaining around 75 lakh small and marginal farmers have no option but to wait for the elections to get over to get even the first installment of ₹2,000.

“The Election Commission has said that the money under the PM-Kisan can be transferred only to those farmers that had been found to be eligible before the model code of conduct came into force,” Gupta pointed out.

He said around 1.45 crore farmers who have already been identified to be eligible before the code of conduct were entitled to the second installment too, which according to him might be given anytime between April and June. Government sources indicated that the Centre was preparation transferring ₹2,000 to the eligible farmers’ bank account as the second installment amid the voting for the national elections.   

 Money being recovered from ineligible farmers

Meanwhile, banks are also making recovery from the ineligible farmers to whose accounts the first installment was credited due to various reasons. In the state there are said to be around 20,000 farmers who are being asked to return ₹2,000 that were remitted to their bank account though they did come under the category of small and marginal farmers.

“This generally happened due to farmers feeding incorrect bank account details in the forms but the money is being recovered from all such farmers who are not eligible as per the guidelines,” Gupta said. He said the scheme itself provided that any money that was transferred to any ineligible farmer might be recovered from the beneficiary as the land revenue.