Krishak Bandhu (Natun)

Why it matters

Pays every registered farmer in West Bengal annual income support of Rs 4,000-10,000, plus a Rs 2 lakh death benefit to the family if the farmer dies.

What you get

Introduced in January 2019 and recast as "Krishak Bandhu (Natun)" on 17 June 2021, this is West Bengal's flagship farmer income-support scheme. Farmers with 1 acre or more of cultivable land receive Rs 10,000 per year, while small and marginal farmers with less than 1 acre receive a minimum assured assistance of Rs 4,000 per year, paid in two equal instalments during the Kharif and Rabi seasons. In addition, the scheme provides a death benefit of Rs 2,00,000 to the nominee or legal family member if a registered farmer dies, regardless of the cause of death, functioning as a basic social-security net for farming households. Farmers holding cultivable land records such as Record of Rights (RoR), Patta, Forest Patta, or registered Bhagchasi (sharecropper) status are eligible.

Eligibility criteria

• Cultivable land record (RoR, Patta, Forest Patta) or registered Bhagchasi/sharecropper status
• Resident farmer of West Bengal
• Registered on the Krishak Bandhu portal

How to apply

1. 1

   Register on the Krishak Bandhu portal (krishakbandhu.wb.gov.in) or through the local Krishi Bhavan/Bangla Sahayata Kendra

2. 2

   Submit land records and Aadhaar-linked bank account for verification

3. 3

   Receive bi-annual income support payments via DBT

4. 4

   Nominee can claim the Rs 2 lakh death benefit on the farmer's demise through the same portal

Documents required

• Aadhaar card
• Land record (RoR/Patta/Forest Patta) or Bhagchasi registration
• Bank account details
• Nominee details for death benefit