Ministers, MPs, MLAs, income tax payers, govt employees not eligible for PM-KISAN

 Farmer families holding to constitutional posts, former and present MPs or MLAs, income tax payers, serving or retired government employees and those with monthly pension of Rs10,000 or more will not be eligible for direct income support of Rs 6,000 per year under PM-KISAN scheme.

According to the Operational Guidelines of the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN), professionals such as doctors, engineers, lawyers, chartered accountants, and architects registered with professional bodies have been excluded from the scheme.

Former and present Mayors of municipal corporations, former and present chairpersons of district panchayats are also not eligible. 

Among government employees, multi tasking staff/Class IV/Group D employees can avail of the benefits. 

In the Interim Budget, the government announced Direct Income Support of Rs 6,000 per year in three instalements to 12.5 crore small and marginal farmers with land holding of up to 2 hectares under the PM-KISAN.

As per the guidelines, small and marginal landholder farmer family is "a family comprising husband, wife and minor children who collectively own cultivable land up to two hectare as per land records of the states concerned and Union Territories".

The government plans to disburse first installment of Rs 2,000 by the first week of March. It has sought assistance of the states in providing required information about the landholdings.

In case of incorrect self-declaration, beneficiary will be liable for recovery of transferred financial benefit and other penal actions as per law. 

Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh has written to Chief Ministers for their support in the effective and speedy implementation of the scheme so that the entitled benefits are expeditiously transferred to the farmers.-IANS