Kolkata, Sept. 27 -- The West Bengal government is set to undertake a fresh verification of existing beneficiaries of the Krishak Bandhu (New) scheme to ensure that financial assistance reaches only eligible farmers. Existing beneficiaries who have not yet submitted the prescribed form will get another opportunity to complete the process.
According to a notification issued by the agriculture department, beneficiaries have to submit the prescribed form, along with supporting documents, at the office of the concerned Block Agriculture Officer within 10 days of publication of the notification.
The verification exercise will involve scrutiny of beneficiary details, land records and other documents, besides checking consistency between different databases. Field-level verification may also be undertaken wherever required. Beneficiaries are required to furnish bank account details, Aadhaar information linked to the account, registered mobile number and, where applicable, Aadhaar and mobile details of their spouse. Details of landholding and relevant land records will also have to be submitted.
Officials have been sending SMS alerts to beneficiaries whose mobile numbers are correctly recorded in the Krishak Bandhu database, asking them to complete the documentation process.
The exercise assumes significance amid allegations by CM Suvendu Adhikari that ineligible beneficiaries had received benefits under various schemes during the previous government. The state has also decided to provide eligible PM-KISAN beneficiaries an additional annual assistance of Rs 3,000 over and above the central support.
The agriculture department has advised eligible beneficiaries who have not completed verification to approach their block office without delay.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.