Pursurah (WB), Nov 5 (PTI) West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Thursday promised transport subsidies, insurance and remunerative prices for potato farmers, and said his government had lifted curbs on interstate exports of the produce that the previous Mamata Banerjee administration had imposed to “harass” growers.
Highlighting the BJP government’s pro-farmer credentials, he also announced a host of welfare measures for farmers in the state and promised a special package for those in Alipurduar, Jhargram and Purulia districts.
“More than 46 lakh farmers in Bengal will receive benefits under the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi. The state government is also providing an electricity subsidy of Rs 2 per unit to four lakh farmers,” he said at an event in Hooghly district’s Pursurah.
Following the change of government in Bengal, the Suvendu Adhikari administration decided to rename the previous TMC government’s ‘Krishak Bandhu’ scheme as ‘Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi’.
Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) is one of the world’s largest Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) schemes. Under it, the Union government provides Rs 6,000 per year in three equal instalments to the bank accounts of farmers’ families across the country.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi released the 23rd instalment of the PM-Kisan scheme worth Rs 18,880 crore in June, of which more than Rs 900 crore was meant for beneficiaries in West Bengal alone. On Thursday, funds under the scheme were transferred to bank accounts of more than 46 lakh farmers.
“Farmers in the state will now receive Rs 9,000 instead of Rs 6,000; this is the benefit of having a double-engine government,” Adhikari said.
The chief minister also said that during the Mamata Banerjee government, potato farmers in the state were subjected to harassment. “Trucks carrying potatoes were stopped at state borders, and farmers were put through immense hardships through police instructions.”
“To address the long-standing problems faced by potato farmers, we have decided to remove all restrictions on the transportation of the produce from West Bengal to other states. No vehicle carrying potatoes will be stopped at state borders. Our government will provide a transport subsidy of Rs 50 per quintal for potatoes transported to other states by road or rail.
“Potato farmers will be given free-bond certificates worth Rs 1,120 per quintal. If market prices fall below this level, the government will compensate farmers for the shortfall through subsidies,” he added.
The previous TMC government had imposed an embargo on potato supply to other states primarily to curb its rising prices. Potato traders had gone on indefinite strikes protesting Banerjee’s decision and alleging police harassment.
Addressing the event on Thursday, Adhikari said, “We have also allocated Rs 150 crore for setting up modern, solar-powered cold storage facilities at 50 farmers’ markets to improve potato storage infrastructure.”
“Potato cultivation will be brought under Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, with the government bearing the farmers’ share of the insurance premium. Farmers will not have to pay anything towards insurance for their potato crops.”
At the event, lentil and mustard seeds were distributed among 10,750 farmers affected by floods at Bhutni Char in Malda district.
Farmers whose houses were completely damaged in the flood would receive Rs 1.8 lakh, while those whose houses suffered partial damage would get Rs 90,000. Those whose houses sustained minor damage would receive Rs 4,000, Adhikari announced.
He also promised electricity subsidy to four lakh farmers of the state and a special package for cultivators in Jhargram, Purulia, and Alipurduar districts. He announced plans to develop 50 model markets under the Smart Mandi initiative, with an allocation of Rs 3 crore for each market.
To expand the reach of the Sufal Bangla initiative, 550 additional portable static outlets would be introduced, where potatoes would be procured from farmers at remunerative prices.
Adhikari said the government had already procured 4.75 lakh quintals of potatoes from 49 cold storages at Rs 950 per quintal, with the produce subsequently stored across 567 cold storages.
The chief minister alleged that farmers had also faced black marketing of fertilisers and had been deprived of fair prices for their produce under the previous dispensation.
He also said the state cabinet would approve the ‘Bharosa’ scheme for educated unemployed youth on November 23, with applications for financial support until securing jobs expected to open in January.
The previous TMC government had brought in a ‘Yuva Sathi’ scheme, under which several unemployed youths received monthly financial assistance of Rs 1,500. PTI SCH NSD
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