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Bengal

Financial aid under 'Krishak Bandhu' scheme increased to Rs 6,000

Financial aid under Krishak Bandhu scheme increased to Rs 6,000
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Kolkata: In a major development when farmers are agitating against the Centre's indifferent attitude towards their demand of repealing the controversial farm laws, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee proposed enhancement of financial aid under the "Krishak Bandhu" scheme to Rs 6,000.

A whopping Rs 500 crore has been proposed as allocation to increase the financial assistance to the farmers. So far, nearly 60 lakh farmers have been brought under the Krishak Bandhu scheme. It includes around 9.96 lakh farmers who were included through the Duare Sarkar drive. While presenting the interim annual financial statement and a Vote on Account at the state Assembly, Banerjee said the financial assistance under the 'Krishak Bandhu' scheme will be enhanced to all farmers and registered bargadars from the current amount of Rs 5,000 per acre to Rs 6,000 per acre from the ensuing Kharif season starting from June 2021. The minimum assistance to the same irrespective to quantum of land will be enhanced from Rs 2,000 to Rs 3,000.

Though the state government has requested the Centre to immediately release its benefits for farmers under the PM Kisan Nidhi Samman scheme to all farmers in the state, according to experts, the proposal of the Mamata Banerjee government to increase the financial assistance under the 'Krishak Bandhu' scheme to Rs 6,000 would benefit the farmers more than that of the Centre's scheme.

At the same time, the Chief Minister has proposed to introduce a new "Matri Bandana" scheme under which 10 lakh new Self-Help Groups will be formed with Rs 25,000 crore loans to be provided to the same in the next five years from banks, mainly the co-operative banks. Banerjee proposed to allocate Rs 150 crore for the same. The Mamata Banerjee government has given equal importance to the unorganised sector that had suffered a lot due to the Covid pandemic by proposing to introduce "Binamultye Samajik Suraksha Yojana" to provide a one-time grant of Rs 1,000 to nearly 45 lakh such labourers from construction and transport industries. She proposed an allocation of Rs 450 crore for the same in the next fiscal.

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