The Chhattisgarh government under Bhupesh Baghel continued its support for farmers by transferring Rs 1,522 crore to the bank accounts of 21 lakh peasants of the state on the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi on Friday.

Baghel also transferred online Rs 3 crore 49 lakh for the cow dung purchased from cattle rearers and to the Gauthan committees and women self-help groups under the Godhan Nyay Yojana.

After making the funds transfer to farmers’ accounts under the Kisan Nyay Yojana, Baghel said that his government has adopted the vision of Rajiv to eradicate poverty and build a self-reliant India in Chhattisgarh.

“Following the path shown by Rajivji, the state government has started many welfare programmes and schemes for all sections of the people including the poor, farmers and tribals. The Rajiv Gandhi Kisan Nyay Yojana has been started to provide remunerative prices to the farmers for their produce,” said Baghel.

The government has expanded the scope of this scheme from the 2021 kharif season to include paddy as well as other kharif crops.

Along with this scheme, the Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Bhoomiheen Krishi Mazdoor Nyay Yojana has been started to provide financial help to the landless agricultural labourers of rural areas. Under this scheme, Rs 6,000 will be given annually to such rural families who do not have agricultural land and are associated with MGNREGA or agricultural wages.

Under the Kisan Nyay Yojana, more than Rs 5,600 crore will be transferred to 21 lakh farmers of the state in four instalments as crop production incentive input assistance to paddy and sugarcane farmers. An amount of Rs 1,525 crore 97 lakh was paid to the farmers as the first instalment in their account. On Friday, Rs 1,522 crore 3 lakh was transferred to the farmers’ bank accounts as the second instalment.

The Kisan Nyay Yojana was implemented in 2020 with the objective of providing a fair price to the farmers for their produce, promoting the productivity of kharif crops and crop diversification.

In 2019-20, provision was made to give to the farmers selling paddy on support price and Rs 5,628 crore was given to the farmers.

“This year also, the process of giving input assistance to farmers under this scheme is going on. On August 20, Rs 1,522 crore 3 lakh was paid to paddy and sugarcane farmers as the second instalment,” said a source in the chief minister’s office.

In the last two-and-a-half years, the number of farmers in the state has increased from 15 lakh to 22 lakh and the area under paddy cultivation has increased from 22 lakh hectares to more than 27 lakh hectares. People who have turned away from agriculture have also started joining agriculture again, the source said.

Under the Godhan Nyay Yojana, Rs 1 crore was paid to the cattle owners and villagers, Rs 1 crore 3 lakh as dividend to the self-help groups and Rs 1 crore 46 lakh to the Gauthan committees on Friday, making a total payment of Rs 3 crore 49 lakh.

Under the Godhan Nyay Yojana started in the state from July 20, 2020, cow dung worth Rs 99 crore 8 lakh has been purchased so far. This amount is mostly contributed to cow dung sellers, cattle farmers, villagers and people belonging to backward classes, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. About 45 per cent of the benefited cow dung sellers are women. Among the beneficiaries, more than 78,000 people belong to landless families.