Port Blair, Feb 27: The thirteenth installment under Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) Scheme was released today by the Government of India for the farmers. As many as 12963 farmers of A&N Islands were eligible to receive the thirteenth installment @ Rs. 2000/- per trimester per farmer. The total amount of thirteenth installment that is released by DBT mechanism is to the tune of Rs.2.60 Crores.
The Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, GoI in association with Government of Karnataka has organized an event for the release of the benefits of 13th installment under the PM-KISAN scheme by Hon’ ble Prime Minister who presided over the ceremony from Belagavi, Karnataka.
The PM-KISAN program is a Central sector program with full Central Government funding for small and marginal farmers. It entered into force on December 1, 2018.
In Andaman & Nicobar Islands, a total of Rs. 36.24 crores has been disbursed through DBT to PM-KISAN beneficiaries’ account upto 12th installment. The scheme aims to supplement the financial needs of the farmers in procuring various inputs to ensure proper crop health and appropriate yields, commensurate with the anticipated farm income.
Under the scheme, financial benefit of Rs. 6000/- per year is provided to all farmer families irrespective of the size of their land holdings, subject to the certain exclusion factors like serving or retired Government Servants, Pensioners, Income Tax Payee, holding any constitutional posts and professionals.
The benefit is provided in 3 equal installments of Rs. 2000/- each in a period of every four months in a financial year directly in the bank account of the beneficiaries. The scheme is being implemented through an Aadhaar linked electronic database containing details of all Members of the families of the farmers whose names appear in the land records.
The Agriculture Department is designated as the Nodal Department in A&N Islands for implementation of PM-KISAN scheme. The Department of Agriculture in coordination with the Department of Rural Development worked together in all Zones of the A&N Islands continuously from the day of launch and conducted door to door visits at all village level along with the co-ordination of concerned PRIs to inform, motivate and support the farmers for availing the benefits of PM’s flagship programme. Apart from these, the field officials conducted awareness programme at village level, conducted Special Gram Sabha’s and camps to bring the farmers under PM-KISAN scheme.
Being an income Benefit Scheme for the farmers, the left out farmers who have not yet enrolled under the scheme have been requested to come forward and enroll themselves through PM-KISAN Portal/PM-KISAN App./CSCs/approach the nearest Agriculture Office along with land records and other necessary documents. Large number of farmers from different Islands and Agriculture Department staff witnessed the live session via video conference.