Govt to begin recovery drive from 3,748 'ineligible' farmers in Hisar dist
The Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Department has initiated a drive for the recovery of PM Kisan Samman Nidhi from 3,748 ineligible farmers in the district. The department is set to recover about Rs 6 crore from them.
According to information procured through the RTI Act, so far, the department has recovered Rs 19.50 lakh, and the process is on at the block level from the farmers who received benefits, despite falling under the exclusion criteria set by the government. The scheme, which provides Rs 6,000 annually to eligible farmers in three instalments, is meant for small and marginal farmers.
The authorities launched the recovery drive after gathering details of those who had availed of the benefits despite being ineligible. There are 3,747 farmers in Hisar who have been identified for recovery, the RTI reply revealed.
While initially, a large number of farmers benefited from the scheme, launched by the Centre in 2019, the number of recipients has dropped significantly over the years. At present, around 83,053 farmers in Hisar are receiving the funds. However, official records indicate that when the scheme began, the first instalment was credited to 1,68,975 farmers in the district. Over six years, the number of beneficiaries has been reduced by more than half, with 85,922 fewer farmers receiving the aid.
Sandeep Punia, a farmer from Satrod village, said the department had credited one instalment of the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme, and had now served notice for recovery. He said he owned just one acre.
Vikas Satrod, district media incharge of the Bhartiya Kisan Union, said the department had identified 23 farmers of his village for recovery. “If a farmer is engaged in another occupation, why is that income being considered as agricultural earnings?" he questioned.
