New Delhi: Uttar Pradesh government has fixed a deadline of February 22 for the list of all beneficiary farmers in the state of the PM-Kisan Nidhi Yojna to be uploaded on the central portal of the scheme, with the first such list to made available by February 12 itself. This could fast-track the payment of the first installment of the Rs 6000 annual benefit to the state which has the highest number of beneficiary farmers in the country, ahead of a key electoral contest in UP.
New Delhi: Uttar Pradesh government has fixed a deadline of February 22 for the list of all beneficiary farmers in the state of the PM-Kisan Nidhi Yojna to be uploaded on the central portal of the scheme, with the first such list to made available by February 12 itself. This could fast-track the payment of the first installment of the Rs 6000 annual benefit to the state which has the highest number of beneficiary farmers in the country, ahead of a key electoral contest in UP.
"This is a most important task which has to be essentially completed in a time-bound manner," says an order issued on Tuesday by UP Chief Secretary A.C. Pandey, putting all District Magistrates as in charge of the job who were asked to take out lists of farmers from the state government's two existing online farmer databases on Tuesday itself. These online databases of UP government have lists of farmers as per the computerised land records and under a 'Pardarshi Kisan Seva Yojana' under which farmers are registered under various schemes of UP government. Names of farmers who feature in these lists will be verified through a field survey between February 6 and 11 and have to be uploaded on the PM Kisan Portal. The rest of the farmers whose names do not feature in the online databases will be identified through another survey in all villages of the state between February 12 and 20 and uploaded on the PM portal by February 22 "in any event", says the order issued by UP Chief Secretary on Tuesday.
This fast-track approach is being followed as UP has the maximum expected beneficiaries, nearly 2.21 crore farmers out of the 14.5 crore farmers in India who would receive the income-support benefit. BJP also faces a tough electoral battle in UP where its opponents SP and BSP have tied up in an alliance while the Congress party had put forward Priyanka Gandhi Vadra as the East UP in charge. "The BJP government in UP earlier executed one of the country's biggest loan waiver to the tune of Rs 36000 crore for almost 80 lakh small and marginal farmers in the state. Nearly all of them, and more, will get this income-support benefit too now. This will further strengthen our farmer vote-base in the state in the 2019 elections. The second instalment of the PM Kisan Nidhi Yojana may be transferred to the farmers in April while the first installment will start getting transferred to farmers by February-end," a senior BJP functionary in UP told ET.
The lists of beneficiary farmers will also be publicly displayed by the UP government in all villages for "transparency". All beneficiary farmers will also be asked to sign a declaration form saying they do not fall under any of the disqualifications spelt out in the central scheme, like being a tax-payer and a government servant, and if any discrepancy is detected later, the government will be within its rights to recover the transferred amount to the farmer's account.
"This is a most important task which has to be essentially completed in a time-bound manner," says an order issued on Tuesday by UP Chief Secretary A.C. Pandey, putting all District Magistrates as in charge of the job who were asked to take out lists of farmers from the state government's two existing online farmer databases on Tuesday itself. These online databases of UP government have lists of farmers as per the computerised land records and under a 'Pardarshi Kisan Seva Yojana' under which farmers are registered under various schemes of UP government. Names of farmers who feature in these lists will be verified through a field survey between February 6 and 11 and have to be uploaded on the PM Kisan Portal. The rest of the farmers whose names do not feature in the online databases will be identified through another survey in all villages of the state between February 12 and 20 and uploaded on the PM portal by February 22 "in any event", says the order issued by UP Chief Secretary on Tuesday.
This fast-track approach is being followed as UP has the maximum expected beneficiaries, nearly 2.21 crore farmers out of the 14.5 crore farmers in India who would receive the income-support benefit. BJP also faces a tough electoral battle in UP where its opponents SP and BSP have tied up in an alliance while the Congress party had put forward Priyanka Gandhi Vadra as the East UP in charge. "The BJP government in UP earlier executed one of the country's biggest loan waiver to the tune of Rs 36000 crore for almost 80 lakh small and marginal farmers in the state. Nearly all of them, and more, will get this income-support benefit too now. This will further strengthen our farmer vote-base in the state in the 2019 elections. The second instalment of the PM Kisan Nidhi Yojana may be transferred to the farmers in April while the first installment will start getting transferred to farmers by February-end," a senior BJP functionary in UP told ET.
The lists of beneficiary farmers will also be publicly displayed by the UP government in all villages for "transparency". All beneficiary farmers will also be asked to sign a declaration form saying they do not fall under any of the disqualifications spelt out in the central scheme, like being a tax-payer and a government servant, and if any discrepancy is detected later, the government will be within its rights to recover the transferred amount to the farmer's account.