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During the monsoon season in Bihar, the state government has opened a big box of relief for the farmers whose crops have been submerged and destroyed due to the spate of rivers like Ganga, Kosi, Gandak, Bagmati and Kamala Balan and unexpected heavy rains. Bihar Agriculture Department has invited online applications under ‘Agriculture Input Grant Scheme’ for the affected farmers of flood affected areas. Through this special relief scheme, financial assistance will be sent directly to the bank accounts of farmers through DBT (Direct Benefit Transfer). The affected farmers have been given time till October 25 to register their claims on the official agriculture portal, so that the verification process can be completed in time and the compensation amount can be transferred to their accounts before Diwali and Chhath festival.
Farmers cultivating paddy, maize, pulses, oilseeds and vegetables on a large scale during the Kharif season in various districts of the state were badly affected by the flood waters. Due to stagnation of water in the fields for weeks, the prepared crops rotted, posing a serious livelihood crisis to small and marginal farmers. The government has activated this portal after completing the initial survey of damage through digital monitoring and local revenue officials, so that no genuine victim farmer is deprived of his right to compensation.
Under Agricultural Input Grant, the State Government has fixed different compensation amounts depending on different categories of crops and nature of land. If a farmer’s crop is destroyed in a non-irrigated area, he will be given financial assistance at the rate of Rs 8,500 per hectare. At the same time, to compensate for the loss of crops grown in irrigated areas, the government will provide a grant amount at the rate of Rs 17,000 per hectare.
Apart from vegetables and horticultural crops, the highest grant of Rs 22,500 per hectare is being given to the farmers on the loss of perennial crops like banana, sugarcane, papaya and betel. Along with this, in areas where the layer of sand or silt brought by floods has accumulated more than 3 inches and the fields are no longer cultivable, a provision has been made for special assistance at the rate of Rs 12,200 per hectare for removing sand. This grant will be payable to a farmer only for actual loss up to a maximum of 2 hectares, while the minimum assistance amount has been fixed at Rs 1,000.
This time, ensuring transparency and inclusivity, the Agriculture Department has included both the actual farming classes—Rayats (owners of their own land) and non-Rayats (sharecroppers or farmers doing farming on lease)—under the ambit of the scheme. While applying, Rayat farmers will have to upload the updated LPC (Land Possession Certificate) of the land in their name or the online land tax receipt of the current financial year on the portal.
At the same time, the process has been made practical for non-ryot farmers. Shareholder farmers have to submit a self-declaration form, which must be verified and signed by the ward member or farmer advisor of the concerned Panchayat. If a farmer falls in both the ryot and non-ryot categories, he can also apply, provided his overall claim remains within the limit of 2 hectares. For application, it is mandatory for the farmer’s bank account to be linked to Aadhaar (Aadhaar Seeded) and active for DBT.
The entire process of applying for Agricultural Input Grant is paperless and online. Farmers can easily submit the form through their mobile, nearest Common Service Center (CSC) or Vasudha Kendra. For this, first of all go to the official website of Direct Benefit Transfer, Agriculture Department, Government of Bihar, dbtagriculture.bihar.gov.in. Click on the link ‘Agriculture Input Grant Scheme (Flood/Extreme Rainfall)’ in the ‘Apply Online’ section given on the homepage.
After this, an option to enter the 13 digit farmer registration number (Farmer Registration ID) will appear on the screen. As soon as you press the search button, the farmer’s name, father’s name, mobile number and bank details will be automatically displayed on the screen. Now the farmer will have to enter the name of the affected crop, type of damage (irrigated/non-irrigated), land account number, khesra number, police station number and total affected area (in decimal). After this, scan and upload the land receipt or self-declaration form in the prescribed format. After checking the details thoroughly, enter the OTP received on the registered mobile number and make the final submission and take a printout of the receipt and keep it safe with you.
The field verification system of the Agriculture Department will be activated as soon as the application deadline ends on October 25. The applications filled by the farmers will be verified on the basis of physical verification by Agriculture Coordinator, Farmer Advisor and zonal level revenue staff. If the claim is found correct during verification, the report will be sent directly to the District Agriculture Officer for approval.
Once the approval is received, the assistance amount will be transferred directly to the farmer’s bank account through the PFMS system. If any discrepancy is found in a farmer’s application, he will be given limited time for correction, but the applications of those claiming on the basis of wrong information or fake documents will be directly rejected. There are only a few days left in the deadline, hence flood affected farmers should file their online claims immediately without waiting for the technical hassle of any last date.