Krishak Bandhu Scheme

What is the Krishak Bandhu scheme?

Krishak Bandhu is the flagship farmer support scheme of the Department of Agriculture, Government of West Bengal. The scheme was introduced in January 2019 and was recast and relaunched in June 2021 as Krishak Bandhu (New), often written locally as Krishak Bondhu. According to the department's Krishak Bandhu portal, the purpose is to give every farmer in the state cash in hand before the sowing season, so that the cost of seed, fertiliser and labour does not have to be met from a moneylender's loan.

Krishak Bandhu has two distinct arms that are worth separating in your mind, because they are claimed differently:

• Assured income support, up to Rs 10,000 a year, released in two equal instalments timed to the Kharif and Rabi seasons and credited to the farmer's bank account.
• Death benefit. A one-time lump sum of Rs 2,00,000 paid to the family when a registered farmer dies between the ages of 18 and 60.

The Department of Agriculture also states that farmers enrolled under Krishak Bandhu are given priority in the state's paddy procurement operations, which matters at the time of selling the harvest to a government purchase centre.

Who is eligible for Krishak Bandhu?

You can be enrolled if:

• You are a farmer of West Bengal cultivating land in the state.
• Your cultivable land is on record in your name, the parcha, khatian or equivalent Record of Rights establishes the holding.
• You are a recorded bhagchasi, that is a sharecropper whose status appears on record. The original Department of Agriculture order covering the scheme extends it to all farmers of the state including recorded bhagchasi.
• You hold a bank account in your own name that can receive a direct transfer.

The size of the payment follows the size of the holding. A farmer with one acre or more of cultivable land draws the full Rs 10,000 a year. A farmer with less than one acre draws a proportionate share of that amount, but the Department of Agriculture guarantees a floor of Rs 4,000 a year, so a very small holding does not translate into a token payment.

You are not eligible, or cannot apply, if:

• You cultivate land but have no land record and no recorded sharecropper status; there is nothing for the block office to verify against.
• The holding is recorded in someone else's name and you have no recorded interest in it. In that case the recorded holder is the beneficiary, not you.
• You are claiming for land outside West Bengal.
• Another member of your household has already been enrolled for the same parcel of land, the assistance follows the recorded holding, and duplicate claims on one parcel are removed at verification.

For the death benefit specifically, the age condition is strict: the farmer must have died between the ages of 18 and 60. There is no income test on the death benefit, so a family that would not qualify for a means-tested welfare grant can still receive the Rs 2 lakh.

What documents are required for Krishak Bandhu?

How to apply for Krishak Bandhu

Krishak Bandhu enrolment is handled by the agriculture administration at block level rather than by self-registration on a website, so the reliable route is a physical visit with your papers.

1. Collect the Krishak Bandhu enrolment form free of charge from the Assistant Director of Agriculture (ADA) office in your block, or from the agriculture desk at a Duare Sarkar camp held in your gram panchayat or municipal ward.
2. Fill in the form with your name as it appears on Aadhaar, your address, the details of your recorded holding; plot and khatian numbers and area — and your bank account number and IFSC code exactly as printed in the passbook.
3. Attach the supporting documents listed above: the land record or the record establishing recorded bhagchasi status, a copy of Aadhaar, a copy of the bank passbook page showing the account number and IFSC, and a photograph.
4. Submit the form at the block agriculture office or at the camp desk and keep the acknowledgement you are given. The acknowledgement is what you quote later if you need to follow up.
5. Wait for field verification. Block agriculture staff verify the holding and the personal details against the land record before the registration is made active.
6. Check that your record appears under Registered Farmer Information Search on krishakbandhu.wb.gov.in once verification is done, and check that the bank account shown is the one you use.

To claim the death benefit, the nominee submits the prescribed death benefit application form to the block agriculture office with the farmer's death certificate, proof of the farmer's age at death, proof of relationship and the nominee's own bank details. The department publishes the death benefit forms in both English and Bengali.

How do you check your Krishak Bandhu status?

1. Open krishakbandhu.wb.gov.in.
2. Select Registered Farmer Information Search.
3. Enter the identifier the search asks for and view the enrolled record.
4. If the record is missing or the bank or land details are wrong, take your documents to the block ADA office and ask for a correction: do not fill a second fresh enrolment form, because a duplicate record slows the payment down rather than speeding it up.

A word of caution on web addresses. The scheme was earlier associated with the address krishakbandhu.net, and that address is no longer a government site. Use only krishakbandhu.wb.gov.in, and ignore any page or message that asks for a payment, an OTP or a "list-updating fee" for Krishak Bandhu.

Why do Krishak Bandhu payments get held up?

• Bank account problems, a closed, dormant, frozen or wrongly typed account is the single most common failure. The credit bounces back and the record has to be corrected before the next release.
• Name mismatch between the bank record and Aadhaar or the land record.
• Land record pending verification by the block agriculture office, or a mutation that has not been completed after an inheritance or a sale.
• Duplicate enrolment on the same parcel by two members of one household, which is removed at verification.
• Details changed and never updated. A new bank account, a new mobile number or a changed holding that was never reported to the block office.

The Department of Agriculture has issued circulars on verification of Krishak Bandhu (New) beneficiaries and on refund of assistance credited in error, so a payment made against wrong particulars can be recovered. That is another reason to correct a wrong record rather than let a payment continue against it.

What are the key dates in the Krishak Bandhu calendar?

Krishak Bandhu is open all year for enrolment; there is no single last date to register. The rhythm that matters is the payment calendar: the annual assistance is split into two equal instalments aligned with the Kharif and Rabi cropping seasons, so the department releases funds ahead of each sowing period. Large enrolment and correction drives are attached to each round of Duare Sarkar, the state's doorstep camp programme, where Krishak Bandhu is one of the most heavily attended desks.

Where do you complain or get help?

• Krishak Bandhu helpline: 033-23570021, open 10 am to 5 pm.
• Email: kbhelpdeskwebel@gmail.com.
• Assistant Director of Agriculture, your block, the first stop for any enrolment, verification or bank correction problem.
• Duare Sarkar camp help desk in your gram panchayat or municipal ward, during a camp round.
• Department of Agriculture, Government of West Bengal, for escalation beyond the district.

Krishak Bandhu enrolment and the death benefit claim are both free. No agent has authority to charge for getting a name on the list, and no government officer will ask you for an OTP or a bank password.