Why Krishak Bandhu
Krishak Bandhu is West Bengal's flagship farmer income-support and risk-protection scheme, launched in January 2019 and enhanced as Krishak Bandhu (Natun) on 17 June 2021 — benefit doubled to the current rates. Unlike PM-KISAN, Krishak Bandhu extends explicitly to bargadars (registered sharecroppers), addressing the state's historically high tenant-cultivation share. The scheme also bundles a ₹2 lakh death-benefit term- insurance cover for the 18 — 60 age cohort.
Benefit structure
- ₹10,000/year cash benefit for farmers with 1 acre or more — two instalments of ₹5,000 aligned with Kharif (June — September) and Rabi (October — March). Farmers with less than 1 acre receive pro-rata assistance, subject to a minimum of ₹4,000/year.
- ₹2 lakh death benefit — one-time payment to nominee on death of an enrolled farmer aged 18 — 60.
- Bargadars and pattadars covered; no premium burden on the farmer.
How to apply — step by step
- Visit krishakbandhu.net or attend a Duare Sarkar (Government- at-Doorstep) camp in your panchayat.
- Submit Aadhaar, Bangla Bhumi land record (or barga certificate for registered sharecroppers), bank account (Aadhaar-seeded), age proof.
- Block Land & Land Reforms Office verifies the cultivator-land linkage; panchayat secretary countersigns barga claims.
- On approval, the seasonal instalment (₹5,000 for ≥1 acre; pro-rata otherwise) is credited via DBT for the upcoming season; death-benefit nominee record captured.
- For death-benefit claim, nominee files with district Agriculture Department within 30 days of death; ₹2 lakh credited within 60 — 90 days.
Latest changes (2024 — 2026)
- June 2021: Benefit doubled as Krishak Bandhu (Natun) — ₹10,000/yr for ≥1 acre, minimum ₹4,000/yr below 1 acre; bargadar coverage widened with simpler barga-certificate route.
- March 2025: krishakbandhu.net portal upgraded with AgriStack Farmer ID integration; Bangla Bhumi auto-validation.
- August 2025: Duare Sarkar camps scheduled quarterly across all districts for new enrolments and grievance redressal.
- 2025-26: Two-instalment schedule maintained; death-benefit settlement timeline target of 60 days enforced.
Common rejection reasons
- Bangla Bhumi mismatch: name on land record differing from Aadhaar; remediate at the BL&LRO.
- Bargadar registration missing: sharecroppers without registered barga certificate cannot avail benefit; register first with the BL&LRO.
- Aadhaar — bank seeding failure: DBT credit fails on NPCI side.
- Excluded category: government employees and pensioners are excluded.
- Age outside 18 — 60: death-benefit cover is age-bound; cash benefit continues regardless.
- Death-benefit claim late: claims beyond 30 days from death are subject to discretion.
Grievance: Block Land & Land Reforms Office → District Agriculture Officer → State Department of Agriculture. krishakbandhu.net hosts a public grievance pipeline; Duare Sarkar camps serve as field-level redressal.
Coverage statistics
Per West Bengal government data, Krishak Bandhu covers roughly 1 crore farmer beneficiaries (pattadars and bargadars combined) with annual outlay in the range of ₹8,000 — ₹10,000 crore inclusive of the death-benefit reserve. Exact district-wise figures for FY 2024-25 and FY 2025-26 are published in West Bengal Vidhan Sabha replies and the state Department of Agriculture annual report.
How Krishak Bandhu stacks with other schemes
West Bengal opted out of PM-KISAN initially and re-joined in 2021; farmers can now access both PM- KISAN and Krishak Bandhu. West Bengal opted out of PMFBY in 2019 and runs the state-funded Bangla Shasya Bima Yojana (BSBY) for crop insurance. KCC- MISS at 4 % effective rate finances inputs; AIF, PMFME, MIDH, SMAM, 10,000 FPOs, NMNF and PKVY operate in normal form. AgriStack Farmer ID and Bangla Bhumi linkage now provide a single-window beneficiary identification rail.