Centre relaxes norms for PM-KISAN beneficiaries in Assam, Meghalaya, UTs of J-K, Ladakh

New Delhi [India], April 22 (ANI): The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Wednesday gave its approval to relax the mandatory requirement of Aadhaar seeding of data in respect of beneficiaries in Assam, Meghalaya, and Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh for the release of benefits under the PM-KISAN Scheme up to March 31, 2021.
The Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) Scheme was launched by Prime Minister Modi on February 24, 2019. It aims to provide income support to all landholder farmer families across the country with cultivable land, subject to certain exclusions.
Under the scheme, an amount of Rs 6,000 per year is released in three four-monthly instalments of Rs 2,000 each directly into the bank accounts of the beneficiaries. The scheme is effective from December 1, 2018.
From December 1, 2019, the release of benefits is done only through Aadhaar seeded data of beneficiaries uploaded by the State and Union Territory governments on the PM-KISAN portal, except in case of the states of Assam and Meghalaya and the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh, which were given exemption from this requirement till March 31, 2020, as Aadhaar penetration there has been minuscule, reads an official statement.
“It has been assessed that it would take much more time for the states of Assam and Meghalaya and the UTs of Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh to complete the work of Aadhaar seeding of data of beneficiaries and the beneficiaries of these states and Union Territories may not be able to avail the benefits of the scheme with effect from April 1, 2020, onwards, if the relaxation from the mandatory requirement of Aadhaar seeding of data is not extended,” adds the statement.
The total number of beneficiary farmers in these States and Union Territories who have been paid at least one instalment as on April 8 are 27,09,586 in Assam, 98,915 in Meghalaya and 10,01,668 in UTs of Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh. (ANI)