West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced on Wednesday that her government has begun disbursing Rs 293 crore directly to the bank accounts of 2.1 lakh farmers who suffered crop losses due to adverse weather during the current Rabi season. This aid is in addition to the Rs 2,900 crore assistance provided to 1.05 crore farmers and tenants under the ‘Krishak Bandhu (Natun)’ scheme.
Banerjee highlighted that the Rs 2,900 crore assistance falls under the state’s crop insurance program ‘Bangla Shasya Bima (BSB)’, which covers the entire premium for all crops. Since its inception in 2019, the scheme has disbursed Rs 3,133 crore to one crore farmers affected by crop losses. The BSB scheme ensures that the state government fully subsidizes the premium for the insurance.
The ‘Krishak Bandhu’ scheme, launched in 2019, was designed to provide financial support to all farmers in West Bengal for agricultural purposes and offer social security to farm families in the event of a farmer’s untimely death. It was rebranded as ‘Krishak Bandhu (Natun)’ and relaunched by Banerjee in June 2021 to continue offering comprehensive support to the state’s farming community.
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