India, Feb. 3 -- The Government of India has issued a release:
The Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY), introduced in the country from 2016-17 is providing comprehensive risk insurance against crop damage due to non-preventable natural risks from pre-sowing to post-harvest for the crops/areas notified by the concerned State Government. The losses to crops due to wild animals, being preventable in nature, were therefore not covered earlier. However, at the request of Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and State Governments, States have been allowed to notify the losses by wild animals on individual assessment as add on cover at the cost of State Government. Detailed protocol for such coverage has been given in the Operational Guidelines of the scheme.
Inundation as a risk cover is available to all notified crops under PMFBY. However, for hydrophilic crops like paddy, jute, mesta, sugarcane, such cover is available except in case of localized claims.
Considering requests from various stakeholders for inclusion of these perils under localized calamities in PMFBY, a Committee was constituted for "Defining Modalities of Crop Loss by Wild Animal Attack and Inundation for Paddy Crop under Localised Risk". The Committee has submitted its report alongwith recommendations and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for coverage of these risks.
Further, the review/revisions / improvements in the crop insurance schemes is a continuous process and decision on suggestion/ representations/ recommendations of the stakeholders/studies are taken from time to time. Based on the experience gained, views of various stakeholders, to ensure better transparency, accountability, timely payment of claims to the farmers and to make the scheme more farmer friendly, Government has periodically revised the Operational Guidelines of the PMFBY comprehensively in 2018, 2020 and 2023.
Majority of the claims are settled within the stipulated timelines under the Operational Guidelines of the scheme by the insurance companies. However, during the implementation of PMFBY, some complaints were received in the past about payment of claims which are primarily on account of (a) delay in providing State Government share of subsidy (b) non-payment/delayed payment or under payment of claims on account of incorrect/delayed submission of insurance proposals by banks (c) discrepancy in yield data & consequent disputes between State Government and insurance companies etc. The pending claims on account of these issue are settled after their resolution as per provisions of the scheme.
Government has taken various steps to strengthen implementation of this scheme, bring transparency and ensure timely settlement of claims :
Following technologies for Objective Crop Damage & Loss Assessment and transparency have also been implemented recently w.e.f. 2023-24 under the scheme:
This information was given by Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Shri Ramnath Thakur in a written reply in Lok Sabha today.
Disclaimer: Curated by HT Syndication.
