The Mamata Banerjee government started groundwork to verify farmers who have applied for the Centre’s PM-Kisan scheme to ensure Bengal farmers get central financial aid at the earliest.

Trinamul insiders said Mamata is keen on completing the state verification of applicants fast to put pressure on the BJP-led Centre and counter its campaign that the Bengal government was depriving farmers of central aid.

“If we verify applicants on time and the Centre fails to transfer funds to farmers’ accounts ahead of polls, we can use it against the BJP...We will also highlight that while the state scheme is for all farmers, the central one is selective in nature,” said a minister.

BJP national president J. P. Nadda in Katwa on Saturday claimed the Bengal government agreed to implement PM-Kisan scheme in the state only recently as the chief minister realised that her party is losing the farmers' support base here.

So far, the state has been told by the Centre that 21.79 lakh farmers applied for the PM-Kisan scheme. Sources said the state government will match the list of applicants under the central scheme with the state’s own Krishak Bandhu scheme as soon as it gets the applicant list from the Centre.

Sources in Nabanna said 47 lakh farmers of Bengal’s total 72 lakh farmers — according to the 2015 agriculture census — had registered under Krishak Bandhu. Another 2 lakh farmers applied for Krishak Bandhu through camps under Duare Sarkar. “Those who get aid under the state’s scheme will automatically qualify for the Centre’s one,” said an official.

“In case there are applicants not enrolled under Krishak Bandhu, a verification process has to be undertaken by asking them to submit their land holding records. But I am sure the number of such applicants would be minimal,” said another official.