In what could further consolidate her position in rural Bengal, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday announced an insurance scheme for the farmers under which the State Government will pay Rs 2 lakh in case of a farmer’s death.
Already bolstered by the feedback on her popular schemes including Kanyashree, Rupashree, Swasthya Sathi, Khadya Saathi and Sabuj Saathi — taking almost the entire population under some scheme of benefit or the other — the Chief Minister on Monday said the new Krishi Bandhu Scheme would secure a large section of the farmers in the working age group.
According to the new scheme if a farmer between the age group of 18 and 60 died his or her family would get an assistance of Rs 2 lakh from the Government. The new scheme would come into effect from January 1. “We have a total of 72 lakh farmer families in Bengal. This scheme will start for these families from January one and the farmers will be able to apply for the benefits from February this year. Not only this, the same Krishi Bandhu scheme would ensure a payment of Rs 2,500 for a farmer growing single crop per acre. The Government will spend over hundreds of crores of rupees for the peasants under this scheme, she said.
This amount will be payable twice a year. By this scheme the Government manages to identify and address the problem of those farmers who have less productive land giving only one crop a year.
This scheme is likely to do good to the people of Jangalmahal area where vast tracts of lands single-crop in nature.
Incidentally the Trinamool Congress had given a below par performance in the panchayat elections in the Jangalamahal districts of Purulia and West Midnapore. “Before this our Government had waived land tax and mutation fees on the agricultural lands,” Banerjee said adding she had also taken initiatives for online mutation to save people from harassment.