Aid to farmers: State to showcase 'Krishak Bandhu Prakalpa' as a tableau in I-Day parade at Red Road

Kolkata: With fulfilment of pre-poll assurance to farmers by increasing the financial benefits to Rs 10,000 per annum, the state government is planning to showcase Krishak Bandhu Prakalpa as the tableau in Independence Day parade at Red Road this year.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee fulfilled her poll promise given to the state's agrarian society by increasing the benefit under Krishak Bandhu Prakalpa for each farmer to Rs 10,000 per year. At least 62 lakh farmers in the state would reap the benefit of increasing the financial assistance.

With the launch of the scheme revising the benefits, the farmers with one or more land get Rs 10,000 per year in two instalments while those with less than 1 acre receive Rs 4,000, which was Rs 2,000 earlier. The death benefit under the scheme remained constant to Rs 2 lakh.

The decision of showcasing the tableau of the state Agriculture department based on the theme of Krishak Bandhu Prakalpa has been taken in a meeting headed by the state Agriculture minister Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay at Nabanna. Senior officers of the state Agriculture department were present in the meeting. "We have finalised Krishak Bandhu Prakalpa as the theme of our tableau this year and a design for the same will be prepared accordingly," said the state Agriculture minister.

Meanwhile, Chief Secretary HK Dwivedi held a meeting to discuss how the Independence Day programme at Red Road can be organised amidst the Covid situation.

Sources said that the programme is expected to be a low key affair. The final decision on the number of participants, the duration of the programme and other related aspects are yet to be finalised. The decision on the total number of tableaus to be allowed is also yet to be taken.

Preliminary discussions have taken place in Wednesday's meeting in which officers of the state Public Works Department were also present.

The first priority of the state is to combat the Covid situation and to ensure that the rate of the same should not go up when the Covid positivity rate has dropped below 1 percent. "So the final decision would be taken keeping all the related aspects in mind," said a state government official.