Bihar Crop Assistance Scheme: Instructions for immediate payment of assistance amount to eligible farmers

The Government of Bihar, under the leadership of Chief Minister Shri Nitish Kumar, is constantly striving for the welfare of farmers and to strengthen the agriculture sector of the state. Through various schemes of the state government, financial assistance, technical support, and relief to deal with natural disasters are being provided to the farmers. "Bihar Rajya Fasal Sahayata Yojana" is also an important initiative under the leadership of the Chief Minister, which helps farmers to overcome financial crisis due to crop damage.

Today on 12.12.2024, in the departmental review, the Bihar Minister of Cooperative Department, Dr. Prem Kumar directed the departmental officials to make immediate payment of assistance amount to the farmers found eligible for the estimability of crop assistance under Rabi (2022-23) season. The Honorable Minister said that this is an ambitious scheme of the Government of Bihar, under which crop assistance of farmers is done by the state government and it reduces the loss of crops of farmers during natural disasters. The Honorable Minister also directed to comply with this scheme in the right manner and on time.

The verification process is going on for the estimability of crop assistance based on yield rate data in the Rabi 2022-23 season. So far, the process of payment of assistance amounting to a total of 103896 farmers is going on against the applications of a total of 274517 farmers recommended by the District Level Coordination Committee (DLCC). The verification of eligible applicants of the Kharif 2023 season is also being done by the District Level Coordination Committee (DLCC). Mapping of Panchayats is being done by the District Level Coordination Committee for verification of eligible applicant farmers of 1218 Gram Panchayats based on yield rate data from the Directorate of Economics and Statistics of notified crops in the Rabi season 2023-24 season. Verification process will be done soon for this season. Under the Bihar State Crop Assistance Scheme, applications have been received from 959502 farmers for the Kharif 2024 season. 

"Bihar State Crop Assistance Scheme" has been implemented by the State Government from Kharif-2018 season. The main objective of this scheme is to provide financial assistance to farmers in the event of a decline in crop production, to encourage them to produce the next crop, to maintain continuity in the income of farmers in adverse conditions and to develop agriculture as a profitable business in the state by ensuring an increase in the income of farmers. Farmers do not have to pay any kind of fee/premium to apply under the scheme. Based on crop harvesting experiment-based yield rate data edited under the direction of the Directorate of Economics and Statistics, Vihar, Patna, after field verification of applicant farmers of such Gram Panchayat / notified area where loss is reported in the yield rate of notified Faral, verification of data and Aadhaar authentication, the estimated assistance amount is paid directly to the beneficiary farmers through DBT in their bank account linked to Aadhaar.

In case of a decline in actual yield rate by up to 20% compared to the threshold yield rate, the assistance amount of Rs. 15,000 is estimated at the rate of Rs. 7,500 per hectare up to a maximum of two (02) hectares. In case of a decline in actual yield rate by more than 20% as compared to the threshold yield rate, the assistance of Rs. 10,000 per hectare up to a maximum of two (02) hectares, up to a total of Rs. 20,000 is admissible.