Patna: CM Samrat Choudhary on Monday transferred more than Rs 200 crore directly into the bank accounts of over 3.96 lakh farmers under the Agriculture Input Subsidy Scheme, providing relief to cultivators whose rabi 2025-26 crops were damaged by storms, hailstorms and unseasonal rainfall during the third and fourth weeks of March 2026.The assistance was disbursed through direct benefit transfer (DBT) to beneficiaries in 13 affected districts — Saharsa, Samastipur, Muzaffarpur, Madhepura, Araria, Begusarai, Purnia, Darbhanga, Kishanganj, Khagaria, Madhubani, Supaul and Bhagalpur. These districts had reported crop losses exceeding 33% following the natural calamities.Addressing the event, Samrat said climate change had increased the burden on farmers, who frequently suffer losses because of unseasonal rainfall, storms and hailstorms. He said the Bihar govt was extending all possible assistance from its treasury to people affected by disasters.The CM said Bihar’s Agriculture Input Subsidy Scheme was not merely a financial relief measure but also a mechanism to instil confidence and provide stability to farmers facing recurring weather-related setbacks.He said the disaster management department had made more than Rs 200 crore available for immediate assistance to affected farmers. On the request of the agriculture department, an additional Rs 61 crore was approved, taking the total provision for farmer assistance to Rs 261 crore.Samrat said farmer welfare and strengthening the agriculture sector remained among the top priorities of the govt under the leadership of PM Narendra Modi.He said the double-engine govt at the Centre and in Bihar was committed to increasing farmers’ income, making agriculture secure and sustainable, and compensating losses caused by natural disasters while ensuring transparency and timely delivery of relief.
