Cabinet approves another instalment of Rs 2,000 under PM-KISAN

New Delhi, Feb 28 (IANS) Ahead of the coming Lok Sabha elections, the Union cabinet on Thursday decided to give PM-KISAN beneficiaries another instalment of Rs 2000 from April 1.

Talking to reporters after a meeting of the Union cabinet, Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said it had been decided to relax the condition under which farmers had to show Aadhaar number for verifying their identity to get the second instalment. 

He said that Aadhar seeding cannot happen in time for the release of second instalment and it had been decided to relax the norm. 

The government had made Aadhaar number of small and marginal farmers optional for availing the first installment of Rs 2,000 under Rs 75,000 crore PM-Kisan scheme.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had on Februrary 24 rolled out the ambitious PM-KISAN (Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi), a cash-transfer scheme, from Gorakhpur 

The Centre had announced the PM-KISAN scheme in the 2019-20 Interim Budget. Under this, Rs 6,000 will be paid to 12 crore small and marginal farmers holding cultivable land of up to two hectares per year in three instalments. 

Prasad said the farmers had been benefited to the tune of Rs 2100 crore with the release of first instalment.