 "Vishnu Deo Sai")
Ravi Sudan Patel, a small farmer from Bendri village in the Raipur district, had been battling to save crops from stray animals, owing to his unfenced farmland. His worries didn't last long as the state government cleared the pending kharif bonus.
The paddy farmer received Rs 87,960 as his bonus dues. After assuming office on December 13, Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai released the pending paddy bonus for the kharif marketing years 2014-15 and 2015-16 to farmers' bank accounts. This was under one of the poll promises made by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) before the Assembly elections.
During the aforementioned kharif marketing years, the BJP government was in power in the state. It, however, failed to give a bonus of Rs 300 per quintal for two years. BJP's loss in the 2018 Assembly elections was a reflection of farmer's resentment.
The BJP, in its 2023 poll manifesto 'Modi Ki Guarantee for Chhattisgarh' announced to pay the due bonus. On the occasion of Good Governance Day, observed to mark the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the Vishnu Deo Sai government distributed the dues.
“We had promised the farmers that as soon as the government is formed, we will give the outstanding bonus of two years to the farmers. I am happy that we have transferred Rs 3,716 crore to more than 12 lakh farmers. The money has reached all the banks where farmers have accounts,” the CM said at a ceremony organised in Bendri.
Also Read
The farmers plan to use the released amount for different purposes including renovating houses, expanding their agriculture farm, and clearing the debt (not the farm loans).
“I plan to use the bonus to install a wire fence in the field and lay pipelines to facilitate irrigation,” Patel said. He said releasing the pending paddy bonus, while simultaneously paying a higher support price for paddy, had significantly boosted his farming income. “I believe that such initiatives will encourage youth to take a keen interest in agriculture,” Patel said.
Nohar Joshi, one such beneficiary from the Parsatti village, received his share of the pending paddy bonus of Rs 86,800. Joshi plans to use the amount to repair his house and invest in farming activities.
