Kolkata; August 27, 2026

A Kisan Credit Card (KCC) Saturation Drive will be undertaken across West Bengal from 1 September 2026 to 31 January 2027 to ensure wider coverage of eligible farmers under the institutional agricultural credit framework.

The five-month campaign will involve around 6,000 rural and semi-urban bank branches across the State. The drive will focus on identifying eligible farmers who do not presently have a KCC, facilitating new applications, and undertaking renewal or enhancement of existing KCC limits, wherever required.

Special emphasis will be placed on small and marginal farmers, tenant farmers, sharecroppers and farmers engaged in dairy, fisheries, animal husbandry and other allied activities, besides other eligible categories. Banks will undertake beneficiary identification, awareness generation and application facilitation through branch-level and local outreach activities.

The campaign will be implemented through coordinated efforts of banks, the State Level Bankers’ Committee, State Government departments, district administrations, NABARD and other stakeholders, with monitoring at branch, district and State levels.

The KCC provides timely institutional credit for crop cultivation and eligible allied activities. Under the Modified Interest Subvention Scheme, the KCC crop-loan limit has been enhanced to Rs. 5 lakh, while the collateral-free agricultural credit limit has been increased to Rs. 2 lakh per borrower, effective from 1 January 2025.

For eligible KCC crop loans up to Rs. 3 lakh, credit is available at 7 per cent per annum, with an additional 3 per cent interest subvention for eligible farmers making prompt repayment, subject to applicable guidelines.

Digital initiatives such as Kisan Rin Portal, Jan Samarth, e-KCC and KRISHIKA are also supporting streamlined agricultural credit delivery.

The Saturation Drive is aimed at strengthening last-mile delivery of institutional agricultural credit and advancing the objective of “Saturation of Eligible Farmers with Institutional Credit”, thereby supporting agricultural and allied activities, rural livelihoods and financial inclusion across West Bengal.

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MSA…

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