The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved Relaxation in Aadhar related Conditions for the release of Second Instalment of income support to all Small and Marginal land-holder farmers’ families with cultivable land-holding up to 2 hectares across the country under PM – KISAN scheme.
The Scheme seeks to provide income support to all Small and Marginal landholder farmers’ families with cultivable land holding upto 2 hectare across the country, by way of payment of Rs.6000/- per year, subject to certain exclusions. The Scheme has been launched by the Prime Minister on the 24th February, 2019. The amount is being released in three 4-monthly instalments of Rs. 2000/- each over the year, to be credited into the bank accounts of the beneficiaries held in destination banks through Direct Benefit Transfer mode. A total amount of more than Rs.2000 crores has already been released to more than one crore farmers’ families across the country in the first lot of 1st instalment. Further releases for the 1st instalment to the remaining beneficiaries are being made.
The 2nd instalment under the scheme would be admissible after the1st of April, 2019. In this connection, it is stated that the Union Cabinet, while approving the scheme on 1.2.2019, made Aadhaar seeding of the beneficiaries’ data compulsory for release of 2nd instalment onwards.
However, it would be difficult to get 100% Aadhaar seeding for release of funds for 2nd instalment, as efficient seeding of beneficiaries’ details with Aadhaar requires bio-metric authentication. Demographic seeding will result in large scale rejection as the spellings of names have to be exactly the same. Non-seeding of beneficiaries’ details with Aadhaar number will delay the release of 2nd instalment as it is due on 1st April, 2019 and will cause discontent among the farmers. Therefore, this condition has been relaxed.
