- West Bengal plans replacing state’s farmer scheme with Centre’s PM-Kisan.
- Verification ordered for 1.14 crore beneficiaries due to discrepancies.
- Transition aims to save state ₹8,000 crore annually, fiscally.
The BJP government in West Bengal plans to discontinue the Krishak Bandhu scheme launched by the Mamata Banerjee administration and bring all eligible beneficiaries under the Centre’s PM-Kisan programme.
Under the Krishak Bandhu scheme, farmers owning one acre or more of land currently receive Rs 10,000 annually, while those with less than one acre are entitled to a minimum of Rs 4,000 every year. According to a report by The Telegraph, the government suspects that several ineligible or non-existent beneficiaries may have received assistance under the scheme.
The scheme has been a major financial commitment for the state government, with around 1.14 crore beneficiaries enrolled and an annual expenditure of nearly Rs 8,000 crore.
Questions Raised Over Beneficiary Numbers
The proposed shift comes amid concerns over the number of beneficiaries registered under Krishak Bandhu. According to the latest agriculture census, West Bengal has around 72 lakh farmers, prompting questions within administrative circles about how the scheme’s beneficiary count rose significantly above that figure.
Officials have reportedly expressed concerns that a programme designed primarily to support cultivators with agricultural land may have included ineligible individuals.
The issue has now prompted a review of the beneficiary database as the state government evaluates the scheme’s future.
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Agriculture Minister Orders Verification
Speaking at Nabanna on Thursday, Agriculture Minister Dudh Kumar Mondal said officials had been instructed to scrutinise the beneficiary list.
“I have asked the department officials to verify the beneficiary list of Krishak Bandhu. It is suspected that many ineligible and non-existent people were getting benefits under the scheme meant for the farmers. We will include all the eligible beneficiaries in the PM-Kisan scheme,” Mondal said.
The verification exercise is expected to determine who qualifies for continued support under the proposed arrangement.
Financial Relief For The State
Sources indicated that replacing Krishak Bandhu with PM-Kisan could significantly reduce the state’s financial burden. Since PM-Kisan is fully funded by the Centre, West Bengal would no longer have to allocate substantial resources to maintain a separate farmer assistance programme.
According to sources quoted by the Telegraph, the state currently spends more than Rs 8,000 crore every year to operate the scheme. If PM-Kisan entirely replaces Krishak Bandhu, that expenditure could be eliminated from the state’s budget.
The move is being viewed as a potential fiscal relief measure while ensuring that eligible farmers continue to receive financial support.
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What The Transition Could Mean For Farmers
The proposed transition would bring eligible farmers in West Bengal under a centrally funded framework instead of a state-funded one. The government has indicated that only those who clear the verification process will be included in the PM-Kisan scheme.
For now, the focus remains on identifying genuine beneficiaries and addressing concerns surrounding the existing database.
The outcome of the verification process is likely to determine how and when the transition from Krishak Bandhu to PM-Kisan takes place across the state.
