West Bengal Farmers Record Highest Increase in Income Among All the States in The Country

According to the publication titled "Doubling Farmers Income," which was released at the 94th Foundation Day & Award Ceremony of ICAR in New Delhi on Saturday by Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Narendra Singh Tomar, large farmers in West Bengal have experienced the highest increase in income among all the states in the nation.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare's Twitter account shared a tweet by ICAR that reaffirmed Bengal as the state with the greatest income for large farmers.

Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay, the state's minister of agriculture, credited Mamata Banerjee, the chief minister, with introducing numerous schemes for farmers after the Trinamool Congress government initially took office in 2011.

A senior department official said that the state has made sure that no farmer committed suicide by taking his or her own life because of debt. On June 17 of last year, the Krishak Bandhu (new) scheme was introduced by the Mamata Banerjee administration. Farmers now receive enhanced financial assistance, ranging from Rs 5,000 to Rs 10,000 for land that is one acre or larger and a minimum of Rs 4,000 per year in two phases for land that is less than one acre. A farmer could only receive Rs 6,000 per year under the scheme in the past. The Krishak Bandhu benefits are only extended to sharecroppers in the state of Bengal.

The number of recipients of the Krishak Bandhu (Death Benefit) scheme has likewise steadily increased. About 74 lakh farmers received death benefits during Kharif 2021, compared to about Rs 5 lakh in 2019. The grieving family members receive Rs 2 lakh in aid if a farmer in the age range of 18 to 60 dies. It is immediately deposited into the next of kin's bank account.

About Krishak Bandhu Scheme:

The "Krishak Bandhu" Scheme was launched in January 2019 by the Department of Agriculture, Government of West Bengal, to provide financial assistance to all farmers in West Bengal for agricultural purposes as well as social security to farm families in the event of an untimely death of the farmers. Recently, the scheme underwent a rebranding and was given the new name "Krishak Bandhu (Natun)". On June 17, 2021, the Hon. Chief Minister of West Bengal introduced the new scheme.