May 6, 2021
Bengal chief minister writes to the prime minister to release funds under the PM Kisan scheme
On the assembly election campaign trail in Bengal, the prime minister and the home minster had said several time that every farmer in the state would get Rs 18,000 under the PM KIisan (Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi) scheme. Now, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has written a letter to the prime minister to ensure that farmers in the state get the money as early as possible.
The letter, sent on May 5, is her first letter to the prime minister after assuming office for a third consecutive term.
“I would like to further impress that during your recent visit to the State, you gave repeated assurances on releasing the arrear amount of Rs 18,000 to each farmer, but till date, no fund has been received by the State of West Bengal or the farmers.
“I would, therefore, request you to kindly advise the concerned Ministry to release due fund to the eligible farmers and share the database of the 21.79 lakh farmers,” Mamata Banerjee wrote.
She reminded the prime minister that she had written to the Union Agriculture Ministry on this issue on December 31, but had not received any reply.
In her letter, she wrote: “Out of the 21.79 lakh farmers who registered for the scheme as per the letter of the Union Agriculture Minister sent last November, 14.91 lakh data have been updated on the portal, which were duly verified and of which 9.84 lakh data are ready for PFMS.”
She also intimated the prime minister about the benefits farmers in Bengal get under the state’s Krishak Bandhu Scheme: Under this scheme, Rs 1,498 crore has been spent for 57.67 lakh farmers. For the one-time benefit given to a family on the death of a farmer below 60 years of age, Rs 242 crore has been spent. The one-time benefit is an amount of Rs 2 lakh, she also wrote.
