Farmers will soon have the option of registering online for the PM Kisan scheme. The step will ease the implementation of income-supported schemes, the government said.
It is also designing a new system for farmers’ pension scheme, announcing the decision of the first cabinet meeting under the new Modi government.
Under the PM Kisan Yojna, the government gives INR 6,000 a year to all the farmers registered under the scheme. The voluntary pension scheme offers INR 3,000 per month to farmers attaining the age of 60, with an entry age of 18-40 years.
“We plan to introduce the option of online registration, where farmers can apply online from any common service centre. The form then can be verified online by the respective patwari or any authorised official of the gram panchayat. This will stem corruption and result in fast implementation of this scheme,” said a senior agriculture department official according to an ET report.
He also said that there were many disqualifications in the application due to illegible forms and information mismatch, adding that online registrations would keep a check on this process.
The range of this scheme has widened after it was extended to farmers irrespective of the land they hold. For quick disposal of applications, it becomes essential that there is an option for applying online. Online registrations would also work parallel to the existing system of registration, thus broadening its reach.
Under the current norms, farmers deposit their forms to the gram panchayat, where the authorised people verify the information.
“We have come to know about many incidents where farmers had to follow up officials and extend favour for getting the verification done. By going online, these incidents will reduce in numbers,”the official reportedly said.
So far, under the PM Kisan Yojana, the government has enrolled 36.6 Mn beneficiaries. Of these. Out of these, 30.3 Mn have been paid the first instalment of 2,000 and 19.9 Mn have received the second instalment as well.
After opening the scheme to all the farmers, the number of beneficiaries is expected to reach 145 Mn.
Taking every farmer under the net would be a time-consuming exercise. We would introduce processes which can curtail the time,” he added.
The PM Kisan Yojana is an income support scheme of INR 6,000 to marginal landholders who have a cultivable land holding of up to 2 hectares.
The amount is released in a three to four-month installment of INR 2,000. The amount is credited into the bank account of the beneficiaries in destination banks through Direct Benefit Transfer Mode. So far the government claims that there have been 3.11 Cr beneficiaries, where the second installment was credited to 2.66 Cr beneficiaries.
Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojna (PMAY) under which the central government offers assistance for construction of houses. However, activists have raised objections on the criteria of shortlisting only 724 beneficiaries from the 52,000 applicants. According to data released by Aurangabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) in a general body meeting, 52,000 applications were received for PMAY by the civic body. Under the scheme, those who have land but do not have any house in their name can get financial assistance from the government to build a house in their land; those who do not have land can be accommodated in housing projects built on government land and those who have taken home loan to build house can get relief in interest paid against the loan. On Wednesday, a sensitisation camp was held at Babasaheb Ambedkar Research Centre in which beneficiaries were given information about the scheme. “It is mandatory for these beneficiaries to build the house over at least 329 square feet. The documents required for the scheme have to be deposited through civil engineer and construction permission file charges, development charges, land charges, betterment charges have to be paid to get the construction permission. If the construction is incomplete, beneficiaries will not get the government grant of Rs 2.5 lakh,” a press release from AMC said. Activist Rajendra Datey Patil said it was not clear how the 724 beneficiaries were chosen, from the 52,000 applicants. “On what basis has AMC selected only 724 out of the large number of people who applied?” Datey Patil asked. He had earlier objected to the manner in which the state’s Ramai Gharkul Yojana was being implemented. Earlier, corporator Raju Shinde had said that those in dire need of a roof over their heads were kept out of the scheme. “Daily wagers and poor people who are living on rent are not covered in the 52,000. The survey methodology and the online application process are skewed against them,” Shinde said, adding that the selected process must be redone to ensure the needy are not left out. Additional commissioner Santosh Kawde told TOI that of the 52,000 applicants, 10,000 already had properties in their name and most of them did not have land of their own. “Seven hundred and twenty one applicants were found who had the documents needed to prove land ownership, so we sent a DPR to MHADA, the state nodal agency,” Kawde said.
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