Shocking Revelation: ₹567 Crore PM-KISAN Scam Uncovered in Assam’s Barpeta – A Wake-Up Call for Accountability

The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has exposed a significant scam under the PM-KISAN scheme, involving misappropriation of ₹567 crore, with Barpeta district in Assam identified as the epicenter. According to the report, funds were improperly distributed to ineligible beneficiaries in Barpeta, with 11,72,685 individuals—or 37% of the district’s applicants—found unqualified during a verification exercise held between May and July 2020. This review was initiated in response to public complaints.

Statewide, the audit highlighted a troubling scenario where 72.54% of beneficiaries, equating to 11,31,152 people, were untraceable, thereby pointing to the existence of numerous fake entries. The audit further revealed that nearly a quarter of PM-KISAN applications from Assam were deemed ineligible by both the PM-KISAN portal and the Public Financial Management System (PFMS).

Between December 2018 and March 2021, Assam recorded 41,87,023 applications for the scheme. Out of these, 10,66,593 applications (25%) were initially tagged as ineligible. Further investigation uncovered an additional 15,59,286 fraudulent entries, pushing the total number of unqualified applications to over 15.5 lakh.

Efforts to recover the unjustly distributed funds have been insufficient, with only 0.24% of the misappropriated amount recovered to date. This CAG report underscores the urgent need for more robust measures to tackle fraudulent practices and ensure proper allocation of government funds, particularly in schemes meant to support the rural agrarian community.

Original Story https://www.guwahatiplus.com/assam/pm-kisan-scam-of-rs567-crore-uncovered-in-assams-barpeta-by-cag
Category : Assam
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Publish Date: 2024-11-06 20:46:00