GUWAHATI, May 13 - Principal opposition Congress party has alleged irregularities in selection of beneficiaries� lists under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) in the State and undue interference by the ruling party in the process.
Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) general secretary and senior spokesperson Apurba Kumar Bhattacharya said selection of beneficiary farmer families was done by violating the rules.
�The COVID-19 pandemic has pushed the entire global economy, including that of India and Assam, towards downturn. However, the ruling party and the government have been involved in massive corruption and irregularities in implementation of schemes even during this time of pandemic. The farmers of Assam have been among the most affected on account of the ongoing lockdown, even as manufacturing, tea industry and trade and commerce have also suffered. The agriculture department has failed to perform what was necessary to provide succour to the farmers,� Bhattacharya said.
He added that the PM-KISAN scheme was launched by the Centre with an aim to provide income support to farmers. �Under the scheme, an income support of Rs 6,000 per year is to be provided to all farmer families in three equal instalments. As per the rules, the entire work of identification of beneficiary farmer families has to be done by the agriculture department in consultation with and cooperation from the elected panchayat representatives. However, in reality the lists were compiled by the ruling party and its legislators, along with cadres of the BJP and the RSS,� the senior Congress party leader said.
Bhattacharya alleged that MLAs belonging to the opposition parties were not allowed to take part in the process for compiling the lists of beneficiaries.
�Instead of being the PM-KISAN scheme, it has now turned into a scheme to help the BJP cadres... We want to remind Sarbananda Sonowal that he is the Chief Minister of the entire State and not just the Chief Minister of the BJP and its alliance partners. We call upon him to provide justice to all,� the Congress party leader said.
PM-KISAN is a Central sector scheme with 100 per cent funding from the Government of India. The fund under the scheme is directly transferred to the bank accounts of the beneficiaries.
