Rs. 65.49 crore Manipur’s PM-KISAN scam: No action, no recovery

The Agriculture Department has yet to initiate meaningful legal action or begin the recovery of Rs. 65.49 crore wrongfully paid to 1,91,244 ineligible beneficiaries under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) scheme—even though the fraud occurred years ago and the scheme has been operational since December 1, 2018.
A detailed audit by the Principal Accountant General (Audit), Manipur, published in the Report for the Year Ended 31 March 2022, exposed massive irregularities, including payments made without supporting documents, enrolment of ineligible individuals, and benefits extended to income tax payees in complete violation of the scheme’s eligibility criteria.
Imphal Times had earlier reported these findings in its March 4 and 5 editions under the headline “Massive Fraud Detected in PM-KISAN Scheme.”
The audit revealed that 1,91,244 of the 5,92,290 beneficiaries were approved between November 2019 and February 2021 without mandatory supporting documents. These approvals were issued by the State Nodal Officer (SNO) using the user ID MANI01, without retaining Jamabandi land records, bank passbooks, or Aadhaar cards. Scheme guidelines clearly mandate verification of original documents at the district or block level—yet these steps were entirely bypassed.
Following the publication of the report, Imphal Times began its own investigation and filed an RTI application on March 6, 2025, seeking the full list of fraudulent beneficiaries identified in the audit and the identity of the SNO who approved these registrations using the user ID MANI01. The Agriculture Department did not respond.
After 60 days of silence, a first appeal was filed before the Manipur Information Commission on May 16, 2025, praying the Commission to compel the Department to release the information. Days later, the Agriculture Department replied on June 19, 2025, refusing to provide the information.
The Information Commission found the refusal unjustified and ordered the Department to furnish all the requested information by July 15, 2025. The Department ignored the order.
During hearings, Agriculture Department officials repeatedly attempted to block disclosure by presenting contradictory and evasive explanations. At one hearing, they claimed the audit findings were not accepted. At the next, they claimed the information was ready and would be submitted the same day—but never provided it. Later, they argued that the matter was under review by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) and therefore could not be disclosed.
To verify the claim, the Commission summoned PAC-related documents. After examining them, the Commission concluded that the PAC matter had no connection whatsoever with the RTI request. With all excuses collapsing, the Department finally after 270 days reluctantly provided the information on December 1, 2025, and only after penalties were imposed.
The Agriculture Department has provided a list of 2,31,225 ineligible beneficiaries. Among them, Thoubal district accounts for the highest number, with 75,571 ineligible beneficiaries, followed by Kakching with 39,761, Churachandpur with 38,872, Bishnupur with 20,363, Senapati with 14,742, Ukhrul with 11,543, Kangpokpi with 7,438, Imphal East with 5,299, Imphal West with 4,816, Kamjong with 3,289, Noney with 2,259, Chandel with 1,710, Jiribam with 679, Pherzawl with 1,831, Tamenglong with 2,613, and Tengnoupal with 439 ineligible beneficiaries.
Internal documents accessed by Imphal Times show that the user ID MANI01, used to upload and approve beneficiary data, was handled by the State Nodal Officer. Two officials held this role during the period: Yumnam Shyam Singh, the first SNO, and Ms. Laltanpuii Vanchhong, the then Director of Agriculture, who took charge after his retirement.
According to ex-officials who spoke to Imphal Times on condition of anonymity, the mass fraudulent registrations occurred during Ms. Laltanpuii Vanchhong’s tenure, allegedly in collusion with certain department staff.
During a hearing before the Information Commission, a PM-KISAN Nodal Officer stated that notices had been issued to fraudulent beneficiaries asking them to submit documents to prove eligibility. Some submitted documents and were found to be genuine. He further informed the Commission that the number of eligible beneficiaries in Manipur has now dropped to below 50,000, down from 5,92,290 earlier—an extraordinary reduction that raises serious questions about the scale of the fraud.
Documents also reveal that on June 5, 2024, the former Director of the Agriculture Department issued a circular instructing all ineligible beneficiaries to refund the PM-KISAN money through the official portal by August 10, 2025, failing which legal action would be taken. However, no concrete legal steps were ever initiated, either against the fraudulent beneficiaries or against the officials who approved their enrolments.
As of now, there is no official information regarding any refund of the amount by the fraudulent beneficiaries. But Imphal Times can confirm that none of the fraudulent beneficiaries have returned the money.
However, despite issuing the circular, the Agriculture Department has not taken any concrete legal steps to recover the misappropriated funds. Merely directing beneficiaries to refund the amount does not absolve the Department of its responsibility. Legal action must also be taken against the erring officials who facilitated or approved the fraudulent registrations.
The issuance of a circular addressing only the fraudulent beneficiaries, while excluding the erring officials, further underscores the Department’s attempt to shield its own employees rather than initiate the requisite punitive measures.
With Rs. 65.04 crore of public money misused, this is not a minor administrative lapse, it is a systemic failure enabled by departmental insiders. Imphal Times will continue to investigate and expose all officials and beneficiaries involved in the PM-KISAN fraud in the public interest.