Bankers in Punjab, Haryana told to verify KCC holders

Vijay C Roy

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, February 17

The Central government has initiated a drive for saturating all PM-Kisan beneficiaries with Kisan Credit Card (KCC). However, in Punjab and Haryana, the number of KCC holders is much more than PM-Kisan beneficiaries. In such a scenario, the banks have been asked to verify the KCC holders in the two states and also match the data with PM-Kisan beneficiaries.

In Punjab, there are around 24.06 lakh KCC holders while PM-Kisan beneficiaries are around 22.21 lakh. Similarly in Haryana, there are 23.28 lakh KCC holders as compared to around 15.78 lakh PM-Kisan beneficiaries. Interestingly, in Haryana, there are 16.17 lakh farmers having land holdings. The number of KCC holders in Haryana is high because of multiple financing by banks.

“Banks in Punjab and Haryana have been asked to verify the saturation of Kisan Credit Cards (KCCs) and match the data with PM-Kisan beneficiaries. In case a PM-Kisan beneficiary doesn’t have the KCC, the banks have been asked to issue them the same at the earliest,” said a senior bank official. The issuance of KCC helps all eligible farmers to get short-term loan for crops and animal/fish rearing at a maximum interest rate of 4% on timely repayment.

In northern states like Punjab, families are doing mutations in land holdings for close relatives. In the past five years, family and land holdings have split and this has led to almost double the number of farmer families opting for KCC and also because of multiple financing.

At a recent meeting, the banks advised their lead district managers to make all out efforts to make saturation and get KCCs issued to all eligible farmers in their districts in coordination with the Revenue and Agriculture Department.

Officials said the state governments and banks have been advised to prepare a list of all PM-Kisan beneficiaries who don’t have KCCs and approach them through the departments concerned of the state, including agriculture, animal husbandry, panchayat and rural development and panchayat secretaries.

As the KCC along with benefit of interest subvention has now been extended to farmers of animal husbandry and fisheries also, the state governments have been requested to focus on such farmers and facilitate sanction of additional credit limit/issue fresh KCC to them.

In addition to the KCC, with a view to provide social security to the PM- Kisan beneficiaries, eligible farmers will also be enrolled for the Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY) and Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Beema Yojana (PMJJBY), after obtaining their consent. These schemes provide accident insurance and life insurance at a premium of Rs 12 and Rs 330, respectively, for an insured value of Rs 2 lakh in each case.