LUCKNOW, April 15 -- The Uttar Pradesh government has ordered an intensive, time-bound verification and data-cleaning drive under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) scheme, flagging over 16.98 lakh pending cases across the state, warning that failure to act could result in cancellation of eligible farmers' benefits before the next instalment. In UP, 2,34 crore farmers are availing of the direct cash transfer benefits under PM-KISAN the 22nd quarterly instalment of which was released on March 13 with all farmers getting Rs 2,000 each direct into their bank accounts. In a government order issued by principal secretary, (agriculture), Ravinder on April 13, all divisional commissioners and district magistrates have been directed to complete verification of "suspicious and incomplete" beneficiary records in a mission mode, aligning the exercise with the ongoing farmer registry special drive. The review at the state level found large-scale discrepancies in beneficiary data submitted during registration, including incomplete, incorrect or inconsistent entries. As a result, many beneficiaries were placed under the "suspected" category, halting fund transfers. Key discrepancies identified include mutation cases other than inheritance (2,83,517) mismatch in previous and current land ownership data (2,73,154), and incomplete identity details of previous landowners (11,42,268). "Despite earlier directions issued in February 2026, progress in resolving such cases had been slow and unsatisfactory," the government order said. The government has now mandated districts to run a coordinated campaign to ensure 100% verification and data correction of all pending cases. District-level micro-plans are to be prepared, fixing accountability at tehsil and district levels, with daily monitoring of progress. The order also noted that under a government of India provision, 5% physical verification was required in selected villages for 2022-23 and 2023-24. However, verification of 3.70 lakh beneficiaries through the PM-KISAN app remains incomplete and must be uploaded by April 30, 2026. "Further, after revamp of the PM-KISAN portal, 86 tehsils have yet to complete login creation and self-verification processes. These must be prioritised immediately to ensure smooth registration, correction and verification," the order said. The government warned that delays could deprive eligible farmers of scheme benefits and send a negative message among the public, stressing that the exercise is a priority for ensuring transparency and timely fund transfer....