Cong slams govt for 'taking back' money under PM-Kisan

New Delhi: Accusing the government led by PM Narendra Modi of taking back the money disbursed to farmers under the PM-Kisan scheme, the Congress on Thursday demanded that recovery from "poor annadaatas" be stopped. The Congress has claimed that the Centre is issuing notices to farmers deemed ineligible under the scheme to take back the money distributed to them.

While addressing a press conference, Congress spokesperson Akhilesh Pratap Singh said, "Instead of Kisan Samman Nidhi, this move of the central government has become 'Kisan Apman Nidhi'. The government, which is waiving lakhs of crores of loans of its industrialist friends, is taking back the money given to the poor 'annadaatas' of the country."

In 2019, when the Modi government started the PM-KISAN before the Lok Sabha election, it "hastily" took bank account numbers of farmers so that money reached them before the polls, he alleged.

"Now the central government is saying that those who are not eligible for this and have received the amount under the scheme should return the money. The government is also sending notices to farmers for taking back the money. The process of recovery by declaring about two crore farmers ineligible across the country should be immediately stopped," Singh said.

However, the government has said that money has been transferred to ineligible beneficiaries under the PM-Kisan scheme and an advisory has been issued to states for getting refunds.