NEW DELHI: After rolling out the Centre’s flagship ‘assured income support’ scheme for farmers on Sunday, the Modi government is now looking at the prospect of disbursing the second instalment of Rs 2,000 each to eligible small and marginal farmers in April-May even as the election is on.
If the government goes ahead, many of the beneficiaries may get total Rs 4,000 in next two months – first instalment of Rs 2,000 by March 31 and second equal instalment in the new disbursement cycle beginning April.
While the second instalment can be released only after dates for Lok Sabha polls are announced – possibly in early March — the Centre does not feel the disbursement of the second tranche will run afoul of the code of conduct which bars government from announcing new schemes.
Additional secretary in Union agriculture ministry, Devesh Chaturvedi, said since the scheme (PM-KISAN) has already been launched, it will be treated as “continuing work in progress” and funds earmarked for such works can be released.
The disbursal will help the government argue that it is committed to the scheme and underline Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s promise at the launch of PM-Kisan at Gorakhpur that this was the beginning and the benefits for the farming communities will be improved.
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