Kolkata, July 5 -- The state Agriculture Department has decided to undertake a comprehensive verification and rationalisation exercise of all existing beneficiaries under the Krishak Bandhu (New) scheme to ensure that financial assistance reaches only eligible farmers.
According to a departmental circular, beneficiary records under Krishak Bandhu (New) will be matched with the PM-KISAN database to identify common beneficiaries and facilitate the enrolment of eligible farmers who have not yet been covered under PM-KISAN. The PM-KISAN status will be flagged on the Krishak Bandhu portal.
District Magistrates and Block Development Officers have been directed to provide the necessary manpower and logistical support for the exercise, which is to be completed, as far as practicable, within four weeks from its commencement.
During field verification, officials will collect details including bank account information, Aadhaar number, EPIC number and land records. They will also verify whether any beneficiary is a permanent employee drawing a regular salary or pension from the Centre, state government, statutory bodies, government undertakings, panchayats, municipal bodies, local bodies, government-aided educational institutions or similar establishments. Verification will also determine whether a beneficiary is an income tax payer. Such cases will be appropriately flagged on the Krishak Bandhu portal.
"Like some other welfare schemes, there have been widespread irregularities in the Krishak Bandhu project. In many cases, family members of government employees are reportedly receiving benefits, which is not appropriate from a policy standpoint. Therefore, we are conducting a thorough scrutiny and verification," state Agriculture Minister Dudh Kumar Mondal said.
The circular also directs officials to identify and flag beneficiaries classified as dead, shifted, deleted or absentee (ASDD) electors during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) 2026, those deleted in the second list after publication of the draft electoral roll, those removed after adjudication, and ASDD electors identified during voter slip distribution. Beneficiaries who have filed appeals before the SIR Tribunal or whose applications under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act remain pending will also be flagged on the portal.
A standardised verification form has been issued for distribution among beneficiaries. Duly filled forms, along with supporting documents such as Aadhaar, EPIC card, Record of Rights (ROR), photographs, and photocopies of the beneficiary's and spouse's bank account details, will be collected during the initial verification and acknowledged with a unique serial number.
Applications found complete in all respects will be verified and uploaded to the portal by authorised personnel. The verifying official will record recommendations, mark the application as verified and forward it to the competent authority for final approval or rejection. The Assistant Director of Agriculture (ADA), block-level officers and other extension officers designated by the block or district administration will serve as the competent authority to approve or reject applications.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.