MP, 16 Mar 2025, Kolkata: Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, on Friday, took to her X handle to highlight her government’s various initiatives aimed at supporting farmers in the state. She reaffirmed her government’s dedication to their welfare.
The Trinamool Congress has been observing March 14 as ‘Krishak Divas’ annually in remembrance of the 14 farmers who lost their lives in Nandigram, East Midnapore, during the 2007 anti-land acquisition movement.
Recognising the relentless efforts of farmers, Banerjee lauded their hard work and described them as “our pride.”
“We try to the best of our ability within our limited capacity so that our farmer brothers and sisters of Bengal are supported befittingly. We provide financial assistance under the ‘Krishak Bandhu’ scheme, compensation in the event of death while working, bearing the full cost of crop insurance premiums, financial assistance in case of natural calamities,” she wrote on the social media handle.
Elaborating on the other measures, she maintained that her government procures paddy from the farmers at a fair price to stop the distress sale of crops. Other initiatives include providing farmer pensions and setting up 186 ‘Kisan Mandis’ to facilitate better market access and providing agricultural machinery at a subsidized rate to ease their workload.
Banerjee stated that her government launched the ‘Bangla Sashya Bima’ (Bengal Crop Insurance Project) in 2019. “In the days to come, our government will continue to stand by our farmer friends in this manner,” Banerjee asserted.
The state government has recently disbursed Rs 351 crore under Bangla Sasya Bima (BSB) to over 9 lakh farmers whose paddy cultivation was affected by natural calamities during the Kharif season last year.
Cyclone Dana that made its landfall in the Odisha coast at the end of October last year affected paddy cultivation in a number of South Bengal districts by bringing in heavy rainfall. Some days before the cyclone, the Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) had allegedly released water that inundated parts of Howrah, Hooghly and East Burdwan.
https://www.millenniumpost.in/bengal/mamata-reaffirms-commitment-to-serve-farmers-on-krishak-divas-602480
