A Nashik farmer’s transaction getting reversed a few hours after receiving Rs 2,000 under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) scheme on Sunday, February 24 has further raised questioned over the hasty roll-out of the scheme.
Per a report in Lokmat Times, 8,000 farmers in Nashik had received the first instalment under the scheme, i.e., Rs 2,000 into their bank accounts on Sunday.
One of these farmers, Ashok Lahagame, received an SMS from the bank that the money has been taken back. He reportedly approached the Sinnar branch of State Bank of India but was left surprised by their response. “I received the SMS informing me about the deposit of Ts 2,000 around 10 am on Sunday and at around 3.30 pm I received another SMS stating that the money was reversed by the bank. On Monday, I went to the bank but the officials there could not help me. Instead, they asked me to mail the main branch and head office of the bank,” Lahagame told Lokmat Times.
The scheme, announced in the Interim Budget 2019-20, was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday. It has been widely speculated that the government is rushing to implement the first phase of the scheme before the Model Code of Conduct is enforced by the Election Commission ahead of the Lok Sabha Polls.
Nashik District Collector told Lokmat. Times, “The list of farmers who are eligible for Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Yojana was prepared and was made available for farmers in their villages for verifications. If any farmer is listed in it, he must get the amount. In this case, I will get the information if there is any technical issue. And if he is eligible, he will definitely get the money. I cannot rule out any technical glitches too. However, a clear picture will emerge in a day or two.”
Dr Ajit Navle, state secretary, Kisan Sabha, told Lokmat Times that there have been other similar cases. “We have heard about the reversal of the Samman fund money from farmers. The matter is very unfortunate and insulting for farmers. These are the results of the efforts of rulers to cover their inefficiency. It has not given any relief to the farmer, but has caused mental harassment to them,” he reportedly said.
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