Teams to recover Rs2.5 cr from illegal beneficiaries of farm plan

Our Correspondent
Palampur, December 17

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The government today geared up to launch recovery proceedings against the illegal beneficiaries of the Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme, which include 2,399 government employees and pensioners, most of them income tax payers.

Govt employees on the list

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi had launched the Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme for the benefit of small and marginal farmers
• The Centre credits Rs 2,000 to their bank accounts after every two months
• However, non-farmers, government employees and pensioners managed to gain benefits of the scheme

The government has constituted teams under the supervision of SDMs and Tehsildars and comprising patwaris and other revenue staff for the recovery of Rs 2.52 crore, which was fraudulently credited to their bank accounts. A detailed list of beneficiaries have been provided to all SDMs and Tehsildars in the district; the list was shared by the Income tax Department with the government.

Official sources said that despite the best efforts of the field staff the recovery rate was slow, as it became difficult to trace the beneficiaries at their mentioned addresses. In case of noncooperation and failure to deposit the amount, the government has authorised the officers to initiate legal action and file FIRs against the defaulters. Though in most of the cases the government has mobile phone numbers, Aadhaar card numbers and bank account numbers of the illegal beneficiaries, still they are not traceable.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had launched the Kisan Saman Nidhi scheme for the benefit of small and marginal farmers, who own agricultural land, in the country. The Central Government credits Rs 2,000 to their bank accounts after every two months. However, the number of non-farmers and state government employees and pensioners also managed to gain the benefits of the scheme in gross violation of rules.