One Time Assistance to Small and Marginal Farmers for Purchase of Small Farm Implements (OTA-SFI)

Description
“One Time Assistance to Small and Marginal Farmers for Purchase of Small Farm Implements OTA-SFI ” under the Farm Mechanization Umbrella Scheme, was launched on 12 February, 2013 by the Agriculture Department, Government of West Bengal with the purpose to aid the farmers in procuring manually operated small farm implements necessary for agricultural operations. > Features: Financial support will be provided mostly for manually operated tools like sprayer, manually operated paddy thresher, cono weeder, weeder, drum-seeder, solar light trap, chaff cutter, seed bin, seed tray, seeder etc. and battery operated sprayers and PVC pipes for carrying water etc. under OTA-SFI. Area of Operation: The scheme is applicable uniformly throughout the State, except Kolkata district.

Exclusions
• A beneficiary or his/her spouse will not be eligible to apply afresh before completion of 4(four) years from release last subsidy for any type of machinery under any Farm Mechanization scheme( FSSM, OTA-SFI, FMB/FMH & CHC) from the State under this Guidelines.
• An employee/retired employee of State Government, Statutory Bodies, Government Undertakings, Panchayats, Municipal Corporations/ Municipalities, Local Bodies, Government Aided Educational Institutions etc. is not eligible.

Benefits
• > **Pattern Of Assistance:**
• Maximum ₹10,000/- or 50% of total indicative price of purchased manually operated machinery/implement whichever is lower.
• > **Available Equipment:******
• A list of different manually operated machinery/implements is provided in [Annexure-III](https://matirkatha.net/rails/active_storage/blobs/redirect/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHBBa1lDIiwiZXhwIjpudWxsLCJwdXIiOiJibG9iX2lkIn19--6e05a52aaf58b7fbfa749a5d71be15309a5101ea/FMS_Operational%20Guidelines_2024_25.pdf?disposition=attachment) (Page No. 37). Available models of different farm machinery /implements as mentioned in Annexure-III along with indicative price will be published in Matirkatha portal by the SPMT before starting of online application of the beneficiary .Combination of machinery/equipment from the list can be purchased within the subsidy limit. But, maximum two nos. implements of the same item may be chosen by the applicant. However, battery operated sprayers and PVC pipes for carrying water will also be eligible under this component.
• > **Note:**
• No machine/equipment will be procured by the Government. The Government will only release subsidy as back ended subsidy against procurement by the beneficiaries as per their choice under FSSM with Bank Loan. The subsidy will be released through DBT mode to the beneficiaries for OTA-SFI.
• The subsidy will only be applicable for purchase of farm machinery/equipment from the approved Farm machinery Manufacturers and Dealers as enlisted in the Departmental portal.
• A beneficiary or his/her spouse will not be eligible to apply afresh before completion of 4(four) years from release of the last subsidy for any type of machinery under OTA-SFI from the State under this Guidelines.

Eligibility Criteria
1. - Individual farmers registered under Krishak Bandhu (New) Scheme.
2. Or,
3. Groups like SKUS/PACS/FPO/FPC/FIG/SHG duly graded /LAMPS etc approved/recognized by any Govt Institution/Departments.
4. - The age of the beneficiary should be minimum 18 years at the time of application.
5. <br>

Application Process
Step 1: Step 01: Visit the official FMS portal and click on “New Registration”.
Online
Step 01: Visit the official FMS portal and click on “New Registration”.

Step 2: Step 02: Fill in all the mandatory details in “Applicant Registration” form.
Online
Step 02: Fill in all the mandatory details in “Applicant Registration” form.

Step 3: Step 03: Verify all the details and click on “Sign Up”.
Online
Step 03: Verify all the details and click on “Sign Up”.

Step 4: Step 01: Visit the official FMS portal and click on “Log in”.
Online
Step 01: Visit the official FMS portal and click on “Log in”.

Step 5: Step 02: Enter Voter Card no, Password and select Season then click on “Log In”.
Online
Step 02: Enter Voter Card no, Password and select Season then click on “Log In”.

Step 6: Step 03: Fill in all the mandatory details in the application form.
Online
Step 03: Fill in all the mandatory details in the application form.

Step 7: Step 04: After successful submission of online application, hard copies of print out of the application with acknowledgement receipt, recent passport size photograph and other prescribed documents (self-attest, if required) will have to be submitt…
Online
Step 04: After successful submission of online application, hard copies of print out of the application with acknowledgement receipt, recent passport size photograph and other prescribed documents (self-attest, if required) will have to be submitted to the office of the Assistant Director of Agriculture of the concerned Block within the stipulated period.

Step 8: Step 05: The applicant will get one time edit option in the specified field after submission of application through online mode but before submission of hard copy to the office of the Assistant Director of Agriculture of the concerned Block. No ed…
Online
Step 05: The applicant will get one time edit option in the specified field after submission of application through online mode but before submission of hard copy to the office of the Assistant Director of Agriculture of the concerned Block. No edit option will be allowed once hard copy is submitted.

Step 9: Step 06: The serial number generated in the online application to be referred in all cases.
Online
Step 06: The serial number generated in the online application to be referred in all cases.

Required Documents
• Identity proof (EPIC/Voter ID card),
• Aadhar of Applicant & Spouse for individual application,
• Bank Account details (Active),
• Active mobile no,
• Land Particulars,
• Krishak Bandhu ID No (Visit here to Check your Krishak Bandhu ID),
• Name of machinery/equipment/ implement,
• Name of manufacturer etc. to be selected from the Departmental Portal.

Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is the objective of the scheme?
A: "One Time Assistance to Small and Marginal Farmers for Purchase of Small Farm Implements (OTA-SFI)" by the Agriculture Department, Government of West Bengal aims to aid the farmers in procuring manually operated small farm implements necessary for agricultural operations.

Q: Which department has launched this scheme?
A: Department Of Agriculture, Government of West Bengal has launched this scheme.

Q: Who is eligible to apply under this scheme?
A: Individual farmers registered under Krishak Bandhu (Natun) Scheme.
Or,
Groups like SKUS/PACS/FPO/FPC/FIG/SHG duly graded /LAMPS etc approved/recognized by any Govt Institution/Departments.

Q: How to avail the benefits of the scheme?
A: Bonafide farmers can apply online in Matirkatha/FMS portal after due advertisement in leading dailies, Departmental website: https://wbfms.matirkatha.net/applicants/sign_up . After successful submission of online application, hard copies of print out of the application with acknowledgement receipt, recent passport size photograph and other prescribed documents (self-attest, if required) will have to be submitted to the office of the Assistant Director of Agriculture of the concerned Block within the stipulated period.

Q: What is the mode of selection of beneficiaries?
A: Computerized lottery/random selection ( GP wise) of valid applications will be done for preparation of priority list by the DLSC with the help of the IT Personnel engaged for software maintenance to give equal opportunity to all the applicants within the GP.

Q: Is there any fee or charges to apply for this scheme?
A: No, there are no charges to apply for this scheme.

Q: Is there any age restriction?
A: The age of the beneficiary should be minimum 18 years at the time of application.

Q: Is there any priority for female applicants?
A: No.

Q: Is there any income criteria for the farmers to be eligible for this scheme?
A: No, there is no specific income criteria for the farmers to be eligible for this scheme.

Q: Whether an employee/retired employee of State Government/Statutory Bodies/Government Undertakings are eligible to apply?
A: Farmer's Photo, Bank Details (Account No., IFSC Code) of the applicant, Identity Card and any other document as directed by the department are the necessary documents.

Q: How will the subsidy be released to the beneficiary?
A: The subsidy will be released to the bank A/C of the respective beneficiaries through DBT mode.

Q: What is the pattern of assistance?
A: Maximum [?]10,000/- or 50% of total indicative price of purchased manually operated machinery/implement whichever is lower will be provided to the beneficiary.