KCR tears apart Fasal Bima Yojana

Hyderabad: "The Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana is Bogus. It is an unscientific crop insurance scheme that is being implemented in the country. It is full of shortcomings and needs to be rectified to ensure that the benefit reaches every farmer who lost a crop due to natural calamities."

This was the reaction of Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao in an intervention during question hour on the last day of the Assembly session which was held for seven days and deliberated over issues mostly focused on the Huzarabad bypoll for about 35 hours.

KCR said the procedure in vogue is that the state governments submit a preliminary report to the Centre on the losses suffered by farmers due to rains and floods. The Union Government sends a team to assess the damage very late, almost after three or four months. As a result, the entire process to extend assistance to the farmers gets delayed. "The Centre is silent despite the MS Swaminathan and Ashok Gulati committee making several recommendations to streamline the crop insurance scheme," he said.

The Chief Minister also pointed out that during assessment for crop insurance, the claim is approved only if an entire village or mandal gets affected. "A section of farmers, who suffer losses in a village in a mandal are deprived of the crop insurance benefit. Farmers are fed up and are reluctant to pay the premiums as they are not able to get the benefit from the insurance scheme.

The state governments would send some suggestions to the Centre on the effective implementation of the Fasal Bima insurance scheme," he said.

KCR said the government had already instructed the District Collectors to take up enumeration of crop loss and other damages on account of the Cyclone Gulab. Once the report was finalised, the government would extend all support to the affected farmers who suffered losses. He also criticised the Centre for not extending financial support when people in Hyderabad suffered losses due to heavy rains last year. The loss in Hyderabad floods was estimated to be around Rs 8,000 crore but the Centre did not release even Rs 8 till date, he said.