Farmers' income in last 8 yrs increased by 3 times: Derek

Kolkata: Stating Modi government's assurance of doubling farmers' income by 2022 as "jumla", Trinamool Congress MP Derek O'Brien put forward the series of development schemes for farmers in Bengal that has already ensured a three-time increase in their income.

In the web series "Soja Banglae Bolchi", O'Brien has taken a dig at the centre by highlighting that even after 10 months of the financial that is till January 2020, 5 crore farmers did not receive the entire amount that they are supposed to get under the Kisan Sanman Scheme.

In the same breath, he has put forward the success of the Mamata Banerjee government in providing extensive support to the farmers in Bengal.

He said: "In Bengal, farmers' income in the past eight years increased by three times." It may be mentioned that average income of farmers in the state went up by 3.2 times as it was Rs 91,000 for a farmer in 2010-11 and it increased to Rs 2.91 lakh in 2017-18.

While speaking about different schemes for farmers in the state, O'Brien said: "A farmer receives a financial assistance of Rs 5000 for an acre of land under the Krishak Bandhu Prakalpa. As many as 66 lakh out of 72 lakh farmers were benefitted."

With these series of steps of the state government in agriculture sector, the state has not registered a single case of death due to suicide by any farmer in 2018 and 2019. This comes when at least 10,281 persons involved in the farm sector committed suicide across the country in 2019.

The Trinamool Congress MP further said that the state government also pays the premium for the crop insurance under the Banglar Sashya Bima. Farmers do not need to pay anything to reap the benefits of the insurance under the scheme.

The Krishak Bandhu Prakalpa is a unique one as not only farmers get an annual financial assistance of Rs 5,000 but also the state government provides Rs 2 lakh compensation to family members in case of death of a farmer between 18-60 age groups.

It is the Mamata Banerjee government that had first waived the tax on

agricultural land. It had immensely benefitted the farmers as they did not have to pay a good amount for the same. At the same time the state government is also helping farmers to get the Kisan Credit Card (KCC). Recently, apart from the previous 20 lakh farmers another 12 lakh farmers have received KCC.