OUR CORRESPONDENT
ITANAGAR: The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) has criticized the Arunachal Pradesh government for several deficiencies while implementing the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) Yojana in the northeastern state. In its recent report, which was tabled in the Assembly by Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein on Monday, the CAG highlighted several discrepancies while implementing the central scheme in the state. The scheme was launched in February 2019 and aimed at providing income support and risk mitigation for farmers. Under the scheme, eligible farmers get income support for meeting expenses related to agriculture and allied activities, as well as for domestic needs.
The scheme with 100 per cent central funding operated under Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) mode. Under the scheme, income support of Rs 6,000 per annum is provided to all eligible farmers across the country in three equal installments. In its report, the CAG alleged that there was no duly approved alternate mechanism for identification of beneficiaries as per the guidelines developed in the state, hampering proper implementation of the scheme.
In its audit report covering the period from 2019–20 to 2020–21, the CAG added that in the absence of an approved mechanism for farmer eligibility, the sole criteria for eligibility were self-declaration forms, due to which many ineligible beneficiaries were extended the benefits of the scheme. "The state nodal department could not provide justification or basis for determining potential beneficiaries in the state. Due to this, more than the total available beneficiaries registered in two of the four sample districts. Further, coverage of the scheme and beneficiaries yet to be registered could not be determined," the report alleged.
The report further pointed out that the self-registration process was not properly implemented in the state, leading to undue rejections and 90 per cent of registration attempts pending validation.
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