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Relevance : GS Paper III( Social Sector)

[ 1000 words reduced to 150 ] 

To allay the rural distress, one of the announcements in the Budget was the cash transfer scheme called PM-KISAN.

Is PM-KISAN a reasonable solution?

• Comparison with MGNREGA
  • MGNREGA earnings is more than PM-KISAN.
  • PM-KISAN is targeted while MGNREGA is universal.
  • The landless can earn through MGNREGA but are not eligible for PM-KISAN.
  • PM-KISAN pits the landless against a small farmer.
  • It is unclear how tenant farmers and women farmers would benefit from PM-KISAN.
  • universal schemes are less prone to corruption than targeted schemes.

Problems with implementation of MGNREGA

• Less than a third of the payments were made on time.
• Repeated changes in processes result in chaos among workers.
• Short-staffed and inadequately trained staff.
• Several MGNREGA payments have been rejected, diverted, or frozen due to AADHAR.

Way forward

• Strengthening existing universal programme such as the MGNREGA.
• Reliable digital land records and reliable rural banking infrastructure.