Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Wednesday wrote to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee asking her to depute a nodal officer in order for the Central Government to oversee the implementation of PM Kisan Samman Nidhi, a central farmers' scheme.
The communication from Tomar came days after Mamata agreed to approve the central scheme and asked the Union Minister to give the state government the list of 21.7 lakh applicants for verification.
The green signal from Mamata Banerjee to the central government scheme is said to be a strategic political decision ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections at a time when the high command of the BJP hit the CM for failing to approve Bengal's central scheme.
A senior TMC leader said, ‘Allowing the central scheme in Bengal will leave no option open for the BJP to attack the TMC-led government on the issue of depriving farmers by barring the central scheme.’
Mamata reported on Monday that she had written to the Union Minister for Agriculture claiming that Bengal was ready to check the 21.7 lakhs farmer applicants who had registered on the central portal. ‘I want farmers to get the money. If there is something extra for the farmers other than our grants, then just let them have it,’ she said.
The disagreement between the Centre and Mamata broke out over the question of disbursing the financial grant authority. The central government wants the grant directly to be credited to the farmers' bank accounts while Mamata wanted to do so by her administrative machinery.
'It was CM's smart decision. At a time when the BJP is being blamed at all corners on the topic of farm legislation and farmers' demonstrations at the Delhi border, she decided to approve the central scheme. Her nod to introducing the central framework for farmers in Bengal will not only blunt the political tool of the BJP to target her on this issue, but her party will also sharpen the farm law attack on the saffron camp,' said a senior state government bureaucrat.
