Suvendu Adhikari Unveils Major Farm-Centric Relief Package

West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Friday unveiled a sweeping package of measures for farmers, promising state procurement of all paddy produced by farmers, a higher support price and substantial electricity subsidies.

The slew of measures places agricultural income and market protection at the centre of his government’s rural policy.

Addressing a gathering at Memari in East Burdwan district after inaugurating several Electricity and Public Works Department projects, Adhikari announced that nearly four lakh farmers would receive a ₹2-per-unit electricity subsidy, translating into annual savings of around Rs 25,000–30,000 per farmer.

The state, he said, would allocate an additional Rs 300 crore for the scheme, with benefits applicable from August.

Describing East Burdwan the state’s “proud granary”, the Chief Minister also announced an enhanced income-support package. Farmers eligible under PM-KISAN, who are receiving Rs 6,000 annually from the Centre, would get an additional Rs 3,000 from the state after verification, taking the total annual support to Rs 9,000.

Under the Krishak Bandhu scheme, farmers with land would receive Rs 4,000 a year, while those with larger holdings would receive Rs 6,000, Adhikari said. Verification is expected to be completed by September 30 next.

The most consequential announcement, however, concerned paddy procurement. Farmers owning up to five acres would receive a minimum support price (MSP) of Rs 2,700 per quintal, while the government would procure their entire paddy output.

Adhikari simultaneously issued a warning to middlemen, rice-mill operators and what he described as “mafias” operating in the paddy trade, saying there would be no room for intermediaries who exploit farmers. An additional incentive of Rs 20,000 for farmers supplying 100 quintals of paddy was also declared.

Significant Milestone in Agriculture

The procurement pledge is significant because it seeks to address one of agriculture’s most persistent vulnerabilities: the gap between what farmers produce and what they finally earn in the market.

By promising direct state purchase, the government is effectively seeking to place procurement rather than private intermediation at the heart of the paddy economy.

Turning to potato cultivation, the chief minister accused the previous government of subjecting potato growers and traders to fertilizer black-marketing, restrictions at borders and pressure on cold-storage operators. A special subsidy package for potato farmers is expected in December, he announced.

Another major announcement concerned rural employment. According to him, job-card holders under the state’s VBG-RAM-G scheme would receive 125 days of work instead of 100, with each worker guaranteed annual earnings of Rs 4,500. He directed officials to ensure that every eligible worker received the full 125 days.

The announcements came alongside the distribution of cheques to beneficiaries of agriculture, irrigation, electricity subsidy and the Surya Ghar scheme. Projects worth Rs 123.48 crore in Bhatar, along with three other state projects worth around Rs 33 crore, were also inaugurated.

Annapurna Yojana Payments

The Chief Minister announced accelerated payments under the Annapurna Yojana, saying all beneficiaries whose verification has been approved would receive the money before the Durga Puja.

According to figures cited by Adhikari, 12,38,781 women aged 25–60 in the district had applied. Of these, 11,56,332 applications were initially approved, 17,045 rejected and 10,714 remained pending for verification. Payments had already reached 9,52,331 beneficiaries, with the remaining eligible applicants due to receive the money soon.

Taken together, the announcements represent a broad attempt to combine farm-gate price protection, income support, cheaper electricity, guaranteed rural employment and household cash assistance.

For a government still seeking to establish its rural economic credentials, East Burdwan—Bengal’s agricultural heartland—thus became the stage for a distinctly farmer-centric political and policy message: produce, power, procurement and income are all to be brought under a larger promise of state-backed protection.