The Centre has disbursed Rs 1,364 crore to 20.48 lakh undeserving beneficiaries under Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana, a reply to a RTI query by the Union Agriculture Ministry said.
The Centre had launched PM-Kisan scheme in 2019 that provides income support of Rs 6,000 annually to the farmers in three equal instalments.
In response to the RTI application, the Union Agriculture Ministry identified 2 categories of undeserving beneficiaries who got PM-Kisan payouts as "ineligible farmers" & "income tax payee farmers".
Right to Information applicant, Venkatesh Nayak of CHRI (Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative) who got the data from the Centre said, "More than half i.e. 55.58 percent of these undeserving persons belong to the income tax payee category".
He told "The remaining 44.41% belong to the "ineligible farmers' category". Nayak told according to media reports, the proceedings have been started to recover these funds transferred to undeserving persons.
Nayak said data obtained under RTI Act, 2005, showed that since the beginning of the PM-KISAN Yojana in 2019, Rs 1,364.13 crore has been paid to "ineligible persons” & “income tax payee farmers” till 31st July 2020. He added that "Government's own data shows fund went into the wrong hands".
As per data, most of the ineligible beneficiaries of PM Kisan scheme are from five states i.e. Punjab, Assam, Maharashtra, Gujarat and UP. Punjab tops the list with 23.16% (4.74 lakh) of the total number of undeserving people across India who received payouts, followed by Assam with 16.87 percent (3.45 lakh beneficiaries) & Maharashtra with 13.99 percent (2.86 lakh beneficiaries).
Punjab, Assam and Maharashtra account for more than half (54.03%) of the number of undeserving people who received payouts. Nayak added that Gujarat is at 4th position with 8.05% (1.64 lakh beneficiaries), followed by UP with 8.01% (1.64 lakh beneficiaries).
Several categories of farmers are barred from PM Kisan like;
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Institutional landholders
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Families in which one or more members is among the beneficiaries
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Former & present holders of constitutional posts
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Former & present ministers, MLAs, MPs, MLCs, mayors & chairman of district panchayat
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Serving & retired government employees
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Income tax payees
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People receiving over Rs 10,000 monthly pension
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Professionals like doctors, engineers, chartered accountants etc.
