Krishak Bandhu Scheme — Eligibility, Benefits & How to Apply (2026)

What Is the Krishak Bandhu Scheme?

Krishak Bandhu is a farmer welfare scheme run by the Government of West Bengal, launched in December 2018 by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. The scheme was created to give the state's farming families a dependable source of income support alongside their regular cultivation earnings, and to provide a safety net for the family if the farmer dies during their working years.

The scheme has two separate parts, and it's worth understanding them separately because they work differently:

• Assured income support, a yearly cash payment made directly into the farmer's bank account, split across two instalments tied to West Bengal's two main growing seasons: Kharif (monsoon crop) and Rabi (winter crop).
• Death benefit cover, a one-time payment to the farmer's family if the registered farmer dies of natural or accidental causes between the ages of 18 and 60.

Krishak Bandhu is run by the West Bengal Department of Agriculture, and more than 90 lakh farmers across the state are currently registered under it, making it one of the largest state-run farmer income schemes in the country. For comprehensive details on related agricultural programs, you can explore all Farmer Welfare schemes supported by the government. Everything on this page is a plain-language guide, the scheme's own rules, on the official portal, are always the final word if anything here differs.

Since its relaunch under the revised Krishak Bandhu (Natun) guidelines, the state government has streamlined payment processing through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) integrated with the Integrated Financial Management System (IFMS). This ensures direct bank transfer into single-operated savings accounts without any manual intervention or cash disbursement intermediary.

Krishak Bandhu Eligibility Criteria

You may be eligible for Krishak Bandhu if you meet all of the following criteria:

• You are a permanent resident of West Bengal.
• You are a farmer, either a landowning cultivator (Raiyat) or a registered Bhagchasi (recognised sharecropper) actively engaged in farming.
• You hold valid land records, a Record of Rights (RoR Parcha) for the land you cultivate, an RoR with Barga registration, a Patta record, or a recent Forest Patta, depending on your situation.
• You have a valid Voter ID card and Aadhaar card.
• Your bank account is linked to your Aadhaar, since payments are made by Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) straight into your account, there's no cash disbursement.
• For the death-benefit component specifically, the farmer must be between 18 and 60 years old at the time of death.

There is no separate income-ceiling test published for Krishak Bandhu the way there is for some other welfare schemes, eligibility is centred on being a genuine, actively farming resident of the state with the correct land documentation. Sharecroppers registered under Operation Barga possess full eligibility parity with landowning Raiyats provided valid land Records of Rights (RoR) are verified by the Block Development Officer (BDO) or Assistant Director of Agriculture (ADA).

Krishak Bandhu Scheme Benefits

1. Annual financial assistance

Eligible farmers with 1 acre or more of cultivable land receive ₹10,000 per year, paid in two equal instalments of ₹5,000 for the Kharif season and ₹5,000 for the Rabi season. Farmers with less than 1 acre receive pro-rata assistance with a minimum guaranteed payout of ₹4,000 per year (paid in two instalments of ₹2,000 each). The two instalments are timed to the sowing seasons, so the money arrives when farmers are actually spending on seed, fertiliser, and labour.

2. Death benefit

If a registered farmer between 18 and 60 dies, whether from natural causes or an accident, their family receives a one-time payment of ₹2,00,000 (₹2 Lakh). This is meant to protect the household from falling into debt or losing their land in the aftermath of losing the family's primary earner.

3. Direct, cashless transfer

All payments are made by DBT straight into the farmer's Aadhaar-linked bank account, no middlemen, no cash handling, and a traceable payment history. Registered beneficiaries can easily check your payment status online at any time. Farmers looking for weather and crop risk protection can also combine this with Bangla Shasya Bima crop insurance.

The state government conducts seasonal verification before releasing each instalment. Funds are credited directly via National Automated Clearing House (NACH) into the verified bank account, eliminating processing delays.

Documents Needed for Krishak Bandhu

Keep these ready before you start your application:

• Record of Rights (RoR Parcha) for the cultivated land, or RoR with Barga registration, or Patta record / Forest Patta
• Aadhaar card (linked to active mobile number for verification)
• Voter ID card (EPIC card copy)
• Bank passbook (first page showing clear account number, account holder name, and IFSC code), Aadhaar-linked
• A recent passport-size photograph
• Mobile number for OTP verification during registration

Ensure all personal names match across your Voter ID, Aadhaar, bank account, and land records to avoid verification flags or payment holds during the BDO verification stage.

How to Apply for Krishak Bandhu

You can register either online or offline:

Online Registration Steps

1. Visit the official portal, krishakbandhu.wb.gov.in.
2. Complete first-time registration using your mobile number and the OTP sent to you.
3. Fill in the online application form with your personal, land, and bank details.
4. Upload scanned copies of the required documents (RoR Parcha, Voter ID, Aadhaar, Bank Passbook).
5. Review your entries carefully and submit the application.
6. Your application is then verified by the local agriculture office before approval.

Offline Registration Steps

1. Visit your nearest Krishi Bhavan (block agriculture office) or an active Duare Sarkar camp.
2. Collect the Krishak Bandhu application form free of cost. Alternatively, you can download the application form guide online.
3. Fill it in by hand and attach self-attested photocopies of your documents.
4. Submit it at the office/camp; you'll typically get an acknowledgment receipt or registration number, keep this safe, you'll need it to check your status later.

Applications submitted during Duare Sarkar outreach camps undergo initial data entry at the camp counter, followed by field verification by the Krishi Technology Sahayak (KTS) and Assistant Director of Agriculture (ADA) within 15 working days. Beneficiaries receive a unique Registration ID upon successful system entry.

There is no application fee at any stage, be cautious of anyone offering "guaranteed approval" for a payment; the scheme does not work that way, and this is free to apply for through official channels only.

How to Check Krishak Bandhu Status

Once you've applied, you can track your application or payment status anytime on the official portal using your Voter ID number or registration ID. This shows you your last few instalment payments, dates, and amounts, and flags if a payment is delayed. You can also see the beneficiary list to confirm your name in official block records. Full instructions are on the dedicated status check page.

Common status responses include Approved, Account Validation Success, Aadhaar Seeding Pending, or Transaction Success. If your status indicates an Aadhaar link issue, visit your bank branch to enable NPCI Direct Benefit Transfer mapping.

Frequently Asked Questions

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