Chief minister Mamata Banerjee today rubbished the Opposition claim on incidents of farmer suicides in the state and reiterated instead that the condition of the farming community had improved immensely since the Trinamul Congress came to power in 2011, through various schemes launched by the government.

“There is not a single incident of farmer suicide in the state. We have no information on farmers having committed suicide in the state on the issue of distress sale of produce or the lack of minimum support price. Should any farmer have died, it may be due to other reasons,” Miss Banerjee said in the state Assembly in response to a Left MLA’s question related to the reported deaths of onion farmers in the state.

While denying the claim of farmers’ suicides raised by the MLA, Ms Banerjee added that the question raised by the MLA was not related to the agriculture department and should instead be made to the agriculture marketing department.

Speaking in the House at the behest of agriculture minister Mr Ashish Banerjee on a question posed by the party legislator Mrs Gita Rani Bhunia on the issue of how much money has been allocated to the ‘Krishak Bandhu Prakolpa” scheme launched in January this year, the chief minister said that the “Krishak Bandhu” scheme was launched in January this year with an aim to improve the socio-economic status of the farmers in the state with government assistance of Rs 5000 per acre on an yearly basis in two instalments.

“But the irony is that since the state was in the grip of general election, the government could hardly work during that period, though the money had been allocated to that end. As far as the Krishak Bandhu scheme goes, the farming community, irrespective of their category, farm labourers and farmers alike, would be benefited by the scheme as it entails government aid of Rs 5000 per acre annually.”

This would be given to farmers in two instalments. In addition to that, insurance premium would be given to the farmers but it would be deposited by the government on their behalf,” the chief minister said.