UP stepping up efforts to cover maximum farmers under PMKSNY: Shahi

Lucknow, Oct 03 (IANS) Nearly 20 per cent of the total farmers registered under the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana (PMKSNY) in Uttar Pradesh have failed to get their documents validated by the state government, thereby depriving them of an annual grant of Rs 6,000.

Uttar Pradesh (UP) is now apparently stepping up efforts to cover the maximum number of farmers under the scheme.

UP Agriculture Minister Surya Pratap Shahi said on Tuesday that of an estimated 2.6 crore farmers registered under the scheme, till date only 2.5 crore have got their bank accounts and Aadhaar cards verified. The rest have either failed to produce their documents or have discrepancies in their Aadhaar cards and records pertaining to ownership of land.

The PMKSNY, launched in February 2019 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, happens to be the most prestigious scheme for small and marginal farmers. The government is scheduled to release the 15th installment of Rs 2,000 to eligible farmers in November.

Farmers are required to furnish identity documents like Aadhaar card or PAN card. Besides they have to submit information related to land records, bank account, including a passbook and statement and proof of address.

Shahi said that the data is consistently updated for maximum possible precision. He said that more than 10 lakh farmers submitted or got their documents verified during the two-month-long drive between April and May.

“We aim to saturate all the districts vis-à-vis PMKSNY in the coming days,” he said. “But for that the farmers need to be made much more aware about the importance of getting their credentials verified so that the benefits of the scheme reach them,” he maintained.

The agriculture department has initiated a fresh drive to cover the maximum number of eligible farmers under the scheme by October 15. In a government order issued to all District Magistrates and CDOs, Additional Chief Secretary (Agriculture) Devesh Chaturvedi said that an efficient mechanism for farmers’ e-KYC and Aadhaar seeding was required to be put in place.

Additionally, the officials have been directed to conduct a door-to-door survey to get the eligible farmers authenticated. The campaign, he said, may also be conducted in village-level conventions and ‘Kisan Pathshalas’.

The department has also decided to set up a helpdesk at the state agricultural seed centres. The farmers whose land records have not been attested will be required to do so from the tehsil level. This will be done under the supervision of District Magistrates, SDMs and tehsildars.

Sources said that the agriculture department has been deploying its officials at various common service centres to complete the e-KYC of the farmers.