“In the last 6 years, Rs 25,186 crore have been paid by farmers as the premium, wherein Rs 1,25,662 crore has been paid to the farmers against their claims as of October 31, 2022, with Central and state governments bearing most of the premium under the scheme,” an official statement said while clarifying on reports that a paltry sum of insurance claims being paid to the farmers in certain districts of Maharashtra.
Farmers have been paid claims worth Rs 1,25,662 crore under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana since its inception in 2016, the government said on Thursday. Crop insurance premiums totaling Rs 25,186 crore have been paid by the farmers under the scheme till October 31, 2022.
Under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY), the agriculture ministry said, the government is committed to providing comprehensive insurance coverage against crop loss on account of non-preventable natural risks.
“In the last 6 years, Rs 25,186 crore have been paid by farmers as the premium, wherein Rs 1,25,662 crore has been paid to the farmers against their claims as of October 31, 2022, with Central and state governments bearing most of the premium under the scheme,” an official statement said while clarifying on reports that a paltry sum of insurance claims being paid to the farmers in certain districts of Maharashtra.
The PMFBY is the third largest crop insurance scheme in the world and is tipped to become number one in coming years as around 5 crore farmer applications are being received under the scheme every year, it added.
“The acceptability of the scheme has increased amongst the farmers in the last 6 years, with a share of non-loanee farmers, marginalized farmers, and small farmers increasing by 282 percent since the initiation of the scheme in 2016,” the ministry said.
The scheme is being implemented on actuarial/ bidded premium rates, however, farmers, including small farmers, have to pay a maximum of 2 percent for Kharif, 1.5 percent for Rabi food and oilseed crops, and 5 percent for commercial/horticultural crops, respectively.
Premium over and above these limits is shared by the Central and state governments on a 50:50 basis except in North Eastern region, where it is 90:10 from Kharif 2020.
The scheme operates on the insurance principles therefore the extent of the area insured, the extent of damage that occurred, sum insured are the important determinants in arriving at the claim amount.
The ministry said that digitization and technology are playing a significant role in scaling up the reach and operations of PMFBY with precision agriculture.
Recently introduced Weather Information and Network Data Systems (WINDS), Yield Estimation System based on Technology (YES-Tech), Collection of Real-Time Observations and Photographs of Crops (CROPIC) are some of the key steps taken under the scheme to bring in more efficiency and transparency.
To address farmer grievances in real time, an integrated helpline system is currently under beta testing in Chhattisgarh, the statement said. PTI MJH SHW SHW.
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