India News | WB Govt Schemes Ensured Social Security of Farmers, Minister Tells Assembly
Get latest articles and stories on India at LatestLY. West Bengal Agriculture Minister Sovandeb Chattopadhyay on Monday said schemes floated by the Mamata Banerjee government have ensured social security of farmers.
Kolkata, Mar 21 (PTI) West Bengal Agriculture Minister Sovandeb Chattopadhyay on Monday said schemes floated by the Mamata Banerjee government have ensured social security of farmers.
Replying to a debate on budgetary grants of Rs 9,310.89 crore for his department in 2022-23, he claimed that "farmers in Bengal are not driven to suicide from debt-burdens, unlike some other states".
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Chattopadhyay also pointed out that 10 lakh farmers in Bengal are yet to receive funds under the Centre's PM Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme, despite their details having been loaded in the designated portal.
He stated that 77.95 lakh beneficiaries have received assistance in 2021-22 under the state's Krishak Bandhu scheme, under which a maximum of Rs 10,000 and a minimum amount of Rs 4,000 is doled out to the farmers and share-croppers.
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Eligible farmers have been provided financial assistance totalling Rs 1,818.99 crore for the last Kharif season and Rs 2,216.10 crore for the ongoing Rabi season, the minister said.
Chattopadhyay said that West Bengal holds the top position in clean rice production, having yielded 169 lakh metric tonne in 2020-21.
The state set a target of producing 211 lakh metric tonne food grain in 2022-23, he maintained.
The minister, however, noted that production of potato, another important crop in West Bengal, has most likely dipped to an estimated 127 lakh MT in 2021-22 from 151.18 lakh MT in 2020-21 owing to effects of cyclone Jawad and subsequent spells of rain.
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)