PM-Kisan scheme: Over 1 lakh farmers get income support in Ludhiana district

Tribune News Service

Nitin Jain

Ludhiana, June 8

Over 1 lakh farmers have got the annual income support under the PM-Kisan scheme in Ludhiana district so far, the administration has confirmed.

Under the Central sector scheme with 100 per cent funding from the Union Government, the beneficiaries have been given a sum of over Rs 62.9 crore every year at the rate of Rs 6,000 annual instalment per farmer, the officials have said.

Know the scheme

The Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) is a Central Sector Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) scheme, under which, financial assistance of Rs 6,000 per annum is provided to all landholding farmer families across the country, subject to certain exclusion criteria

Respective state governments identify the beneficiaries eligible for support as per scheme guidelines. Funds are directly transferred to bank accounts of beneficiaries

The Deputy Commissioner, Surabhi Malik, told The Tribune, here on Wednesday, that as many as 1,04,846 eligible farmers have been benefitted under the PM-Kisan scheme in the district so far and an amount of Rs 62,90,76,000 has been credited to their bank accounts every year at the rate of Rs 6,000 annual income support that the scheme guarantees to each beneficiary.

The ADC (Development), Amit Kumar Panchal, said the scheme was in operation since December 1, 2018, under which an annual income support of Rs 6,000 in three equated instalments was provided to all the eligible land holding farmers.

“Our job is to identify the eligible farmer families for enrolment under the scheme as per the scheme guidelines and the benefit was directly transferred to the bank accounts of the beneficiaries to check any pilferage,” he said.

Meanwhile, the special drive to promote direct seeding of rice (DSR) in which seeds are sown in the field rather than transplanting seedlings from the nursery has picked up pace in the district.

Chief Agriculture Officer (CAO), Narinder Singh Benipal, disclosed that eleven help desks have been established to rope in more and more farmers under the DSR.

“Since the last date for registration under DSR on the government portal has been extended to June 30, we are motivating the peasants to shun traditional paddy sowing practices and adopt DSR,” he informed.

Benipal disclosed that the DSR technique not only saves up to 20 per cent of water but was also cost effective as it saves up to Rs 5,000 per acre plantation cost. Besides, the farmers opting for DSR will be entitled to get Rs 1,500 per acre government incentive directly to their bank accounts.

He added that the teams of the Agriculture Department will begin field verification of the applicants under the DSR scheme from June 18 onwards.

Who are not eligible

• Institutional landholders
• Farmers or their families presently holding or in the past held constitutional posts
• Former and present Ministers, MPs, MLAs, Mayors, Zila Parishad chairpersons
• Serving or retired officers and employees of Central and State Governments, their field units, Central or State PSEs and attached offices or autonomous institutions under government as well as regular employees of the local bodies, excluding multi-tasking staff, Class IV and Group D employees
• Retired pensioners whose monthly pension is Rs 10,000 or more
• All those who paid income tax in last assessment year
• Professionals like doctors, engineers, lawyers, chartered accountants, and architects.

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