West Bengal has announced a ₹2-per-unit electricity subsidy for agricultural consumers, a paddy procurement top-up and additional annual support for farmers in a package expected to benefit more than four lakh cultivators and cost the state about ₹300 crore for the power subsidy alone.
Chief minister Suvendu Adhikari announced the measures at a government programme in East Burdwan, the state’s main rice-producing region. He said the electricity subsidy would help an individual farmer save between ₹25,000 and ₹30,000 a year on cultivation-related power bills.
The announcement covers electricity used for agricultural purposes and is aimed at reducing one of the recurring operating costs faced by farmers who depend on electrically powered irrigation and other farm equipment. The report did not specify the subsidy’s start date, the billing mechanism or whether eligible farmers would receive the benefit as a direct transfer or through adjusted electricity bills.
The chief minister also announced a ₹200-per-quintal top-up on paddy procured by the government. With the minimum support price stated as ₹2,500 per quintal, eligible farmers would receive ₹2,700 per quintal. The benefit will be available to farmers owning up to five acres of land.
Adhikari said the government procurement process would be monitored to prevent touts, middlemen and rice millers from exploiting farmers. He directed legislators to remain vigilant against interference in procurement. The announcement places responsibility on the state administration and local political representatives to ensure that the additional payment reaches eligible cultivators without deductions or informal charges.
The package also includes a promise of a special support programme for potato growers in December. The chief minister said farmers would receive a total of ₹9,000 each under the PM-Kisan scheme, including a ₹3,000 contribution from the state. He further announced annual payments of ₹4,000 to farmers, including those owning only small areas of agricultural land.
The measures were announced in a district where the political importance of agriculture has been highlighted by the ruling BJP. According to the report, the party won 14 of East Burdwan’s 16 Assembly seats in the last elections. The chief minister linked the announcements to the government’s commitment to support farming communities in districts where agriculture accounts for a major share of livelihoods.
The speech also addressed the price of construction sand, a material whose cost has a direct effect on building and infrastructure work. Adhikari said common people should be able to buy sand at lower prices and that the government could procure and sell it directly if required. Sand is sourced mainly from East Burdwan, Birbhum, Bankura and Hooghly.
He said the government would close illegal sand mines and act against sand mafias. Sand mining is expected to resume in October, after which the government expects prices to decline. The report did not provide details of the proposed procurement system, enforcement plan or the number of mining sites that could be affected.
The immediate implementation details for the electricity subsidy, farmer payments and paddy top-up remain to be set out. The next stated milestones are the proposed December package for potato growers and the expected resumption of sand mining in October.
