Mamata Banerjee has written to farmers across Bengal, informing them that while the centre has not been giving financial assistance to them under what was assured under the PM-Kisan scheme, the state government will continue to deliver on its promise of direct benefit transfer to them.
“The state government had done its bit on time to enroll the farmers of the state under the PM-Kisan scheme. You were supposed to get Rs 18,000 but getting much less... You should not worry, we will fight to ensure that you get your dues,” reads the letter dated August 7.
Sources at the state secretariat said the letter was being sent to all 62 lakh beneficiaries of Krishak Bandhu scheme though the agriculture development officers posted in all 341 blocks in Bengal.
The letter written in Bengali, sources said, is politically significant as it gives a clear hint that the chief minister is keen to catch the BJP on
the wrong foot ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, particularly after the Centre did not clear two years’ arrears of Bengal’s farmers worth Rs 12,000.
“Prime Minister had promised during his election campaigns that Bengal’s farmers would get Rs 18,000, including two years’ dues when the state government did not implement the scheme here. But after the elections, only 7 lakh-odd farmers received Rs 2,000 each as this year’s first instalment under the scheme. The chief minister wants to remind the farmers that the BJP did not keep its promise,” said a source.
Mamata also mentioned in her letter that the state’s own Krishak Bandhu scheme —which ensures annual financial assistance of Rs 10,000 for an acre — offers much better facilities compared to the Centre’s PM-Kisan scheme.
“We offer better facilities under the Krishak Bandhu scheme. The share croppers and bargadars have been included in the scheme. Those who have land-related issues can also avail the facility by submitting a self-declaration only,” the chief minister wrote.
Sources aware of the development said that the chief minister chose to write the letter to the farmers primarily for two reasons.
“In August, more than 24 lakh farmers from the state would get financial assistance of Rs 2,000 under the PM-Kisan scheme. The chief minister wanted to remind them that the state’s scheme was much better compared to the central one,” said a source.
Moreover, Mamata has wanted to highlight that because of various eligibility criteria, share croppers, bargadars and those who have income tax payers or pensioners are being deprived of the Central scheme.
While the state’s scheme gives the benefit to more than 62 lakh farmers, the state could upload names of about 44 lakh farmers for the central scheme.
“Because of eligibility criteria, the state government could not enroll about 18 lakh farmers under the central scheme. Furthermore, names of about 9.5 lakh farmers were rejected under the central scheme. The chief minister wanted to lay stress that the central scheme did not offer the facility to all the farmers,” said an official.
According to Trinamul insiders, Mamata is preparing to keep her support base in the agriculture belt intact ahead of Lok Sabha polls.
Trinamul had received a jolt in districts like East Burdwan, Hooghly and Nadia during the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.
“But the scene was changed in the last Assembly polls as Trinamul had wrested majority of the seats in these agriculture belt riding on its series of schemes for the farmers. The chief minister is eyeing to keep her support base intact in these districts,” said a Trinamul MLA.
