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KOLKATA | KOCHI: States ruled by parties opposing Prime Minister Narendra Modi ’s BJP are lukewarm or antagonistic to the Centre’s PM-KISAN scheme that promises small and marginal farmers Rs 6,000 a year in three installments.The most vocal critics of the scheme, which BJP hopes will yield rich political dividends, are officials of West Bengal’s Mamata Banerjee government, while a minister in Congress ruled Madhya Pradesh said it would take up to three months to implement the scheme that offers a “paltry” amount. Other states such as Odisha and Kerala are studying the scheme.West Bengal, where the chief minister has had a bitter standoff with the Centre this week over the CBI’s attempt to question a top cop, is not keen to pursue the PM-KISAN scheme. Pradip Mazumdar, agricultural adviser to Banerjee, said the state had not received any guidelines from New Delhi and it may not cooperate as it had its own scheme for farmers. “Even if we receive the guidelines, we may not follow them. Mamata Banerjee has come out with the Krishak Bondhu scheme which ensures a yearly grant of Rs 5,000 per acre to farmers in two instalments, for both rabi and kharif crops,” he told ET.“In the case of shared cropping, the amount is divided proportionally among the share-croppers. Also, the scheme ensures a one-time grant of Rs 2 lakh for the family of any farmer between the ages of 18 and 60 who dies due to any natural or unnatural cause,” Mamata Banerjee’s adviser Pradip Mazumdar said.The state, India’s top rice producer and second-biggest potato cultivator, has crossed swords with the Centre in the past also. On January 9, Banerjee had said she would not continue with the Centre’s Ayushman Bharat health programme because of Modi’s “dirty politics” of government schemes.In Madhya Pradesh, a major producer of oil seeds, wheat and pulses, minister for farmer welfare and agriculture Sachin Subhash Yadav said the state had received the Centre’s request for farmers’ land records, Aadhaar numbers and mobile numbers, but added that it was a difficult task.“There is no deadline for submitting these details. It is a daunting task and may require 2-3 months,” he told ET.He said the payment, which averages Rs 500 per month, was too small. “It is an insult to farmers. Modi had promised to bring back black money and deposit Rs 15 lakh into every citizen’s bank account during his election campaign in 2014. Has that happened? How can we trust him now on this Rs 6,000 aid for farmers?” he said.In Odisha, a major grower of rice, pulses, oil seeds and jute, agriculture secretary Saurabh Garg said: “We have received guidelines for the scheme. We are studying them and trying to gauge the extent of work required.”In the south, two non-BJP states are geared up to get the assistance for farmers with up to 2 hectares of cultivable land.Kerala’s agricultural production commissioner Devendra Kumar Singh said: “We are waiting for further guidelines to prepare the database of beneficiaries as we need more clarity.” The instalments will be deposited directly into farmers’ accounts.He said since most farmers in Kerala have small holdings, the majority are likely to be covered under the scheme. “Since it has not been specified, the plantation sector is expected to be covered,” Singh said. Kerala is a major producer of rubber, spices, coffee and tea.The official said there was no deadline to furnish details of farmers.However, plantation growers voiced scepticism over the scheme’s success. “It’s a meagre amount, and the system of direct payment into farmers’ accounts has not worked,” said VC Sebastian, secretarygeneral of the Indian Farmers’ Movement (Infam).P Venkitachalapathy, Tamil Nadu’s assistant director of agriculture, said since the names of farmers are lying in different departments like revenue and survey, the information would have to be collated.“We have to see how many of the small farmers have Aadhaar and bank accounts. Also, we have to keep in mind exclusions like two members of the same family cannot avail of the benefit,” he said.