Just 5 lakh farmers in Gujarat eligible for PM-KMY

GANDHINAGAR: Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ambitious PM Kisan Maandhan Yojana (PM-KMY) scheme, may not get much traction in Gujarat, due to the many restrictions on selection of beneficiaries, according to senior officers of the state government.

A senior officer privy to the development said, “So far, of the 53 lakh registered Khedut Khatedars (farmer account holders) in the state, a total of 47,217 farmers have been registered under the PM Kisan Manndhan Yojana. Due to age limits (18 to 40 years) and other restrictions, such as ineligibiluty of MPs, MLAs, district and taluka panchayat members, income tax payers etc., many farmers will be excluded.” He added, “There is no separate data available on farmers in the 18 to 40 years age group, so it has become difficult to reach out to them. The state government has asked the LIC of India and public service centres to promote the scheme and to motivate farmers to join the scheme.’’

“However, as many farmers do not take insurance at all, we are facing problems motivating them. The unavailability of proper data is also a major problem. The state government has decided to aggressively promote the scheme and has a target of at least 5 lakh beneficiaries.’’

All small and marginal farmers currently between 18 and 40 years of age, are eligible for the scheme, which has a national outlay of Rs 10,774 crore for the next three years. Monthly contributions by the farmers for the the pension scheme can be made from instalments of PM-KISAN (Kisan Samman Nidhi) or through CSCs (common service centres).

Farmers, who are beneficiaries of the PM-KISAN scheme, can also enroll for this scheme. Farmers will have to make monthly contributions between Rs 55 and Rs 200, depending on their age of entry, till they reach retirement age. The Central government will make an equal contribution to the pension fund.

Farmers holding up to 2 hectares of farmland will be eligible for PM-KMY. Any eligible farmer can visit his nearest CSC with his Aadhaar card and bank passbook or account details. Village level entrepreneurs (VLEs), who manage CSCs, will complete the online registration process after taking down the relevant details of farmers.

The Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) will manage the scheme.

Source: The Times of India