The Centre on Monday asked the States for faster implementation of the ₹ 87,000 crore PM-KISAN scheme to boost farmers’ income and urged them to send the list of beneficiaries at the earliest. The Centre has recently launched the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) scheme under which it will provide ₹ 6,000 annually to 14.5 crore farmers in three equal instalments.
Addressing State Agriculture Ministers’ conference here, Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said,”we have launched PM-KISAN scheme under which ₹ 87,000 crore will go to farmers’ pocket“.
“It is the States’ responsibility to ensure that the benefit under this scheme reaches to all eligible farmers. Fund has been kept in the budget and is ready to be transferred into farmers’ bank account,” he said, emphasising on the need of faster implementation of this programme.
Till July 5, as many as 3.56 crore farmers have got the first instalment, totalling ₹ 7,120 crore and 3.10 crore farmers have received the second instalment totalling ₹ 6,215 crore, a senior agriculture ministry official said in a presentation.
The official asked States to send beneficiary data before July-end so that farmers do not miss their April-July instalment of ₹ 2,000.
West Bengal has not joined this scheme so far, the official said, adding that only 43 per cent beneficiaries have come so far. Bihar has only given data of 8.38 lakh farmers out of estimated 1.63 crore eligible beneficiaries.