The Government, in its 2008-09 budget had declared financial assistance of Rs 1,000 for each family of small and marginal farmers.

Accordingly, the village accountants, on the direction of the tahsildar, prepared a list of more than 26,000 beneficiaries across the taluk and furnished the information to the Agriculture Department. The Department, in turn, prepared as many cheques, but distributed it only 13,230 beneficiaries.

Agriculture Department officer Shivakumar told Deccan Herald that it had not been possible to distribute cheques for want of beneficiaries. He said the beneficiaries mentioned in the list prepared by Revenue Department were nowhere in the taluk.

“Our staff have toured the villages with the cheques, but cannot find the beneficiaries. There are also instances of more than one cheque in the name of a single person,” he said. Lack of synergy between the departments concerned has deprived the eligible farmers of their legitimate entitlement for over a period of over two years.