New Delhi, April 22 : The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given its approval to relax the mandatory requirement of Aadhaar seeding of data beneficiaries of Assam, Meghalaya, Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh for release of benefits to them under PM-Kisan Scheme up to March 31, 2021. The government says the decision was taken to ensure the eligible beneficiaries do not fail to get the benefits for want of non-compliance of Aadhaar seeding of data. The Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) Scheme was launched by Modi on February 24 last year. The scheme aims to provide income support to all landholder farmer families across the country with cultivable land, subject to certain exclusions. Under the scheme, an amount of Rs 6,000 annually is released in three 4-monthly installments of Rs 2,000 each, directly into the bank accounts of the beneficiaries. The scheme is effective from December 1, 2018. "From 1st December, 2019, release of benefits is done only through Aadhaar seeded data of beneficiaries uploaded by the State /UT Governments on the PM-KISAN portal, except in case of the states of Assam and Meghalaya and the UTs of J&K and Ladakh, which have been given exemption from this requirement till 31st March, 2020, as Aadhaar penetration there has been miniscule," said a government statement. The assessment says that it would take much more time for the two states and two Union territories to complete the work of Aadhaar seeding of data of beneficiaries resulting in beneficiaries of these states or UTs possibly failing to avail the benefits of the scheme from April 1 this year, if the relaxation from mandatory requirement of Aadhaar seeding of data is not extended. The total number of beneficiary farmers in these states and UTs who have been paid at least one instalment as on April 8 this year, are 27,09,586 beneficiaries in Assam, 98,915 beneficiaries in Meghalaya and 10,01,668 beneficiaries in J&K and Ladakh. /IANS