NE NEWS SERVICE
NEW DELHI, JULY 17
Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Friday appealed the farmers to come forward to register under the crop insurance scheme Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) before the last date and get a protection against Kharif 2020 crop loss due to unforeseen natural calamities.
Tomar said the enrolment of farmers under the PMFBY for the ongoing Kharif-2020 season is going on in full swing across the country and urged more farmers to take benefit of the scheme.
The cut-off date for the ongoing Kharif 2020 season in few states and union territories may end by July 31, 2020. The Centre has made enrolment free for all the farmers who only need to pay a premium amount now, he added.
Through a video message, the minister appealed to all farmers to protect themselves against financial loss due to crop failures/damages as a result of natural disasters.
Since the launch of the scheme in 2016, farmers paid a premium of Rs 13,000 crore but they received claims to the tune of Rs 64,000 crore, he said.
Any farmer who wishes to get enrolled under the PMFBY should contact his nearest bank, Primary Agricultural Credit Society (PACS), Common Service Centre (CSC), Village Level Entrepreneurs (VLEs), Office of Agriculture Department or Representative of Insurance Company to get enrolled.
Farmers also have options to get enrolled through the National Crop Insurance Portal (NCIP) or Crop Insurance App, he said.
The Minister asked farmers to carry Aadhaar number, bank passbook, land record/tenancy agreement, and self-declaration certificate to complete the enrolment process.
“This season, all farmers enrolled under the scheme will be intimated about the status of their application through regular SMS on their registered mobile numbers,” he noted.
The Centre has made the scheme voluntary for all the farmers from Kharif-2020 season onwards. Earlier, the scheme was compulsory for all the loanee farmers.
“Now, farmers with loan dues can opt out of the scheme by submitting a simple declaration to their bank branch seven days before the cut-off date of enrolment,” Tomar said.
Under the scheme, farmers can get their food crops (cereals and oilseeds) insured at a minimal premium rate of 2 per cent of sum insured, and commercial and horticulture crops at 5 per cent of sum insured in Kharif 2020. The remaining premium will be subsidised by the Centre and states. The PMFBY ensures protection of crop loss for the entire cropping cycle, from pre-sowing to post-harvest activities.
In addition, there is comprehensive risk coverage against drought, floods, inundation, landslides, unseasonable rainfall, hailstorm, natural fires, and cyclone for the standing crop as well as coverage against hailstorm, cyclone and unseasonal rainfall for post-harvest crop.
In a separate statement, the agriculture ministry said it has provided training to 29,275 officials from banks, insurance companies, Common Service Centres (CSCs), State Level Bankers’ Committee (SLBC), Village Level Entrepreneurs, state and district level agriculture agencies etc.
Besides this, insurance companies have also provided training to different stakeholders. The ministry also aims to provide training to 600 executives of Kisan Call Centres.
