GUWAHATI, Nov 6: An audit by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has revealed significant fraud in Assam’s PM-KISAN scheme, with Rs 567 crore being misappropriated by ineligible beneficiaries. The audit uncovered severe flaws in monitoring, data management, and eligibility verification, compromising the scheme’s effectiveness across the state. Despite identifying widespread fraud, recovery efforts have been minimal, with only 0.24% of the misallocated funds being reclaimed.
The PM-KISAN scheme, launched by the central government to financially support farmers, has faced major implementation issues in Assam. The CAG report, presented to the Assam Legislative Assembly, found that 35% of the registered beneficiaries were ineligible. Out of 41,87,023 applications received, over 10 lakh were rejected for failing to meet the eligibility criteria, while an independent investigation in 2020 revealed that 37% of the approved beneficiaries did not qualify yet still received funds.
Although the fraud was widespread, the recovery of misappropriated funds has been minimal. As of October 2021, only 0.24% of the funds had been reclaimed. The audit also flagged issues with data inaccuracies, pointing to 15,59,286 ineligible names in the beneficiary database, many of whom were non-farmers, government employees, or pensioners who gained access through fraudulent means.
The report highlighted issues such as fake registrations and misuse of bank account information, with auditors uncovering 3,577 fake registrations in 16 districts. Furthermore, the audit found discrepancies in administrative expenses, with Rs 1.41 crore of allocated funds unaccounted for.
In response to the audit, the Assam government initiated a re-verification process in June 2021 to ensure that only eligible beneficiaries receive benefits. The CAG’s findings stress the importance of stricter oversight, effective implementation, and comprehensive verification processes to safeguard the integrity of welfare programs like PM-KISAN.
