Centre releases operational guidelines to kick off assured income support schemes for 12 crore farmers
Vishwa Mohan | TNN | Updated: Feb 7, 2019, 19:55 IST
NEW DELHI: Getting assurance from the states to get list of beneficiaries under assured income support scheme (PM-KISAN) in 15 days, the Centre on Thursday launched a dedicated portal for this purpose and released a detailed operational guidelines specifying exclusion of certain categories of non-eligible landholder farmer family and allocating specified roles to different agencies for implementing this ambitious programmes for around 12 crores small and marginal farmers.
The states have been requested to upload details of eligible farmers on the dedicated website (http://pmkisan.nic.in) by February 25.
“Though we have time till March 31 to transfer Rs 2,000 each to bank accounts of all eligible farmers, we want to start the process of transferring the amount in February itself (may be by February 28). It’ll then be a ‘work in progress’ and thus won’t come under the scanner of election commission’s model code of conduct once polls are announced in first week of March,” said an official, sounding an urgency to roll out the money transfer mechanism under the scheme as early as possible.
This fully central funded scheme - called PM-KISAN - was announced by the government in its interim budget for 2019-20 on February 1. Under the scheme, each of the country’s nearly 12 crore small and marginal landholder farmer family will get Rs 6,000 per annum in three equal instalments every four months in a financial year.
Since the government made it operation with effect from December 1, 2018, the first instalment of Rs 2,000 is to be transferred to bank accounts of each of the small and marginal farmer family, who have cultivable land up to 2 hectares (little less than five acres), by March 31. The operational guidelines, however, carry certain exclusions on the basis of high economic status of such landholder farmers.
Union agriculture minister Radha Mohan Singh has, meanwhile, written to chief ministers of all states urging them to work for speedy implementation of the PM-KISAN. He requests them to quickly share with his ministry their respective lists of beneficiaries so that the eligible small and marginal families are transferred the entitled benefits expeditiously.
The operational guidelines of the PM-KISAN specify that the landholder farmer families in which one or more of its members are either former or present MPs, MLAs, mayors, chairpersons of district panchayats or holders of constitutional posts will not be eligible for benefits under the assured income support scheme.
Similarly, even those farmer families will not be eligible for cash benefit of Rs 6,000 per annum under PM-KISAN whose one or more members are working or retired government servants (excluding Class IV or Group D employees) or pensioners whose monthly pension is Rs 10,000 or more (excluding Class IV/Group D employees) or Income Tax payees in last assessment year or professionals like practicing Doctors, Engineers, Lawyers, Chartered Accountants and Architects.
Under the guidelines, it will be the responsibility of the state governments and UT administration to certify the eligibility of beneficiaries, based on their self declaration, for the purpose of exclusion.
“In case of incorrect self declaration, beneficiary shall be liable for recovery of transferred financial benefit and other penal actions as per law,” said the guidelines.
This list of beneficiaries prepared by States/UTs for transfer of first installment will be valid for one year.
“In case of joint holding, the benefit will be transferred to the bank account of the person within the family with highest quantum of landholding. If the quantum of cultivable land owned by two or more individual family members is same, the benefit will be transferred to the bank account of the elder/eldest, as the case may be, of such members of that farmer family,” the guidelines said.
The ministry has decided to set up a Project Monitoring Unit (PMU) for overall monitoring of the scheme. It’ll be headed by a Chief Executive Officer (CEO).
The states, on the other hand, will designate a nodal department for implementing the scheme and coordinating with the central government.
Who’s In, Who’s Out Under PM-KISAN
+ Assured income support is meant for small and marginal farmer family having less than 5 acres of land
+ A Small and Marginal landholder farmer family (LFF) is defined as “a family comprising of husband, wife and minor children who collectively own cultivable land upto 2 hectare (little less than 5 acres) as per land records of the concerned State/UT”.
+ The cut-off date for determination of eligibility of beneficiaries under the scheme is February 1, 2019
+ No changes after the cut-off date will be considered for eligibility of benefit under the scheme for next 5 years
+ Benefit will be allowed to transferees only on succession due to death of original owners after the cut-off date
+ Exclusions (not be eligible for benefit under the scheme)
(A) All Institutional Land holders
(B) Farmer families in which one or more of its members belong to following categories:
(1) Former and present holders of constitutional posts
(2) Former or present ministers, MPs, MLAs, Mayors or Chairpersons of District Panchayats
(3) All serving or retired employees of Central/State Govts., Central or State PSEs and Autonomous Institutions under Govt. as well as regular employees of the Local Bodies
(Excluding Class IV/Group D employees)
(4) All retired pensioners whose monthly pension is Rs 10,000 or more (excluding Class IV/Group D employees)
(5) All Persons who paid Income Tax in last assessment year
(6) Professionals like Doctors, Engineers, Lawyers, Chartered Accountants, and Architects registered with professional bodies and carrying out profession by undertaking practices
The states have been requested to upload details of eligible farmers on the dedicated website (http://pmkisan.nic.in) by February 25.
“Though we have time till March 31 to transfer Rs 2,000 each to bank accounts of all eligible farmers, we want to start the process of transferring the amount in February itself (may be by February 28). It’ll then be a ‘work in progress’ and thus won’t come under the scanner of election commission’s model code of conduct once polls are announced in first week of March,” said an official, sounding an urgency to roll out the money transfer mechanism under the scheme as early as possible.
This fully central funded scheme - called PM-KISAN - was announced by the government in its interim budget for 2019-20 on February 1. Under the scheme, each of the country’s nearly 12 crore small and marginal landholder farmer family will get Rs 6,000 per annum in three equal instalments every four months in a financial year.
Since the government made it operation with effect from December 1, 2018, the first instalment of Rs 2,000 is to be transferred to bank accounts of each of the small and marginal farmer family, who have cultivable land up to 2 hectares (little less than five acres), by March 31. The operational guidelines, however, carry certain exclusions on the basis of high economic status of such landholder farmers.
Union agriculture minister Radha Mohan Singh has, meanwhile, written to chief ministers of all states urging them to work for speedy implementation of the PM-KISAN. He requests them to quickly share with his ministry their respective lists of beneficiaries so that the eligible small and marginal families are transferred the entitled benefits expeditiously.
The operational guidelines of the PM-KISAN specify that the landholder farmer families in which one or more of its members are either former or present MPs, MLAs, mayors, chairpersons of district panchayats or holders of constitutional posts will not be eligible for benefits under the assured income support scheme.
Similarly, even those farmer families will not be eligible for cash benefit of Rs 6,000 per annum under PM-KISAN whose one or more members are working or retired government servants (excluding Class IV or Group D employees) or pensioners whose monthly pension is Rs 10,000 or more (excluding Class IV/Group D employees) or Income Tax payees in last assessment year or professionals like practicing Doctors, Engineers, Lawyers, Chartered Accountants and Architects.
Under the guidelines, it will be the responsibility of the state governments and UT administration to certify the eligibility of beneficiaries, based on their self declaration, for the purpose of exclusion.
“In case of incorrect self declaration, beneficiary shall be liable for recovery of transferred financial benefit and other penal actions as per law,” said the guidelines.
This list of beneficiaries prepared by States/UTs for transfer of first installment will be valid for one year.
“In case of joint holding, the benefit will be transferred to the bank account of the person within the family with highest quantum of landholding. If the quantum of cultivable land owned by two or more individual family members is same, the benefit will be transferred to the bank account of the elder/eldest, as the case may be, of such members of that farmer family,” the guidelines said.
The ministry has decided to set up a Project Monitoring Unit (PMU) for overall monitoring of the scheme. It’ll be headed by a Chief Executive Officer (CEO).
The states, on the other hand, will designate a nodal department for implementing the scheme and coordinating with the central government.
Who’s In, Who’s Out Under PM-KISAN
+ Assured income support is meant for small and marginal farmer family having less than 5 acres of land
+ A Small and Marginal landholder farmer family (LFF) is defined as “a family comprising of husband, wife and minor children who collectively own cultivable land upto 2 hectare (little less than 5 acres) as per land records of the concerned State/UT”.
+ The cut-off date for determination of eligibility of beneficiaries under the scheme is February 1, 2019
+ No changes after the cut-off date will be considered for eligibility of benefit under the scheme for next 5 years
+ Benefit will be allowed to transferees only on succession due to death of original owners after the cut-off date
+ Exclusions (not be eligible for benefit under the scheme)
(A) All Institutional Land holders
(B) Farmer families in which one or more of its members belong to following categories:
(1) Former and present holders of constitutional posts
(2) Former or present ministers, MPs, MLAs, Mayors or Chairpersons of District Panchayats
(3) All serving or retired employees of Central/State Govts., Central or State PSEs and Autonomous Institutions under Govt. as well as regular employees of the Local Bodies
(Excluding Class IV/Group D employees)
(4) All retired pensioners whose monthly pension is Rs 10,000 or more (excluding Class IV/Group D employees)
(5) All Persons who paid Income Tax in last assessment year
(6) Professionals like Doctors, Engineers, Lawyers, Chartered Accountants, and Architects registered with professional bodies and carrying out profession by undertaking practices
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