The Government of Uttar Pradesh is planning to cover 29 million farmers under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) scheme by the end of September. The state, which is ruled by Bharatiya Janata party, has revised its target after covering nearly all of the 23.22 million farmers under the 6,000-a-year scheme according to the count of farmers in the 2011 Census.
In a letter sent to all district magistrates in Uttar Pradesh on 2nd September 2019, the state government told records of 23.18 million farmers in UP had been fed into an online website by district authorities for the PM Kisan Yojana. The number represents over 99% of the initial target of 23.22 million growers as per the census. But since more farmers exist in India’s most populous state at present, several districts achieved more than 100% of their target according to the census including 120 to 130% in districts like Saharanpur, Hathras, Etawah and Agra therefore necessitating a "table-top exercise" to determine the actual number of cultivators in the state.
The UP government in the letter mentioned that as per its estimates around 29 million farmers in the state are eligible for the PM Kisan scheme. The letter further said, "It is expected from you that by the end of this month (September), the data of all farmers must be fed on to the online website so that all of them can get the benefit of the scheme”.
It is important to mention that Uttar Pradesh has been the biggest beneficiary under the minimum income scheme so far, with almost 16 million farmers getting the 1st instalment of Rs 2,000 into their bank accounts & 11 million getting the 2nd instalment as well. The state government proceeded with great speed after June 2019, following CM Yogi Adityanath's involvement to set a deadline for the data of all 23 million cultivators as per the 2011 Census to be put on the central portal as early as possible.
