A large number of folk singers in West Bengal’s Murshidabad district staged a protest against cut money and irregularities in the payment of their monthly stipend of Rs 1000 that was announced by the state government.Many of the artists have alleged that they haven’t received their monthly stipend for the last four to six months. Several others complained of middlemen taking Rs 200 from them with the assurance of securing them payments under the ‘Lokprasar Prakalpo’ scheme.
As per government statistics, nearly 8,596 folk artistes above 60 years of age are getting a pension of Rs 1000 per month under ‘Lokprasar Prakalpo’, while 76,000 folk artistes under the age of 60 years are receiving a retainer fee of Rs 1000.However, ground reality suggests that the payments are irregular and the issue involving the middlemen issue may become a concern for the folk artists mainly in the Murshidabad district.