Chhattisgarh government transfers outstanding paddy bonus to nearly 12 lakh farmers
The Hindu
The Vishnu Deo Sai-led Bharatiya Janata Party government of Chhattisgarh transferred the outstanding bonus to nearly 12 lakh paddy farmers,
The Vishnu Deo Sai-led Bharatiya Janata Party government of Chhattisgarh on Monday transferred the outstanding bonus to nearly 12 lakh paddy farmers, pending from two years of the party’s last stint in power [2013-18].
In 2018, the non-payment of the said bonus was seen as a pivotal factor that broke the BJP’s sequence of State election victories in the predominantly rural State. Attempting a course correction, the party had highlighted it as a key poll promise in the run up to last month’s Assembly polls.
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After assuming power, it was one of the first announcements made by Mr. Sai, with his Cabinet choosing December 25, the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, as the date for crediting the amount to the beneficiary farmers.
“We had promised the farmers of Chhattisgarh that as soon as the government is formed in Chhattisgarh, we will give the outstanding bonus of two years to the farmers. I am very happy to tell that today we have transferred ₹3,716 crore to more than 12 lakh farmers of Chhattisgarh. The money has reached all the banks where farmers have accounts,” said Mr. Sai at a bonus amount distribution ceremony organised in the village Bendri of Abhanpur, on the outskirts of Raipur city.
On the occasion, Mr. Sai also interacted with a few farmers gathered at the venue and via video conferencing. Some of those farmers, who received anywhere between a few thousand to several lakhs, said they had not thought the money would eventually be credited; with this money in hand, they can now plan for purchases or service loans.
Meanwhile, the Opposition Congress has questioned the disbursal and the methodology, calling the exercise a deceit.