Guntur: Narasaraopet MP Lavu Sri Krishnadevarayalu urged the Centre to increase the number of insurance companies to pay crop insurance claims to the farmers at the earliest and stressed on the need to extend crop insurance coverage to all the crops.

Addressing the Lok Sabha in the question hour on Tuesday, he explained that out of two hundred crops cultivated by the farmers, at present, the Centre extended the crop insurance scheme to sixty crops only. “At present, twenty insurance companies are in the public and private sector.”

Responding to his question, Union agriculture minister Shivaraj Singh Chouhan said the Centre is liberalising the crop insurance claims payment and extending the crop insurance coverage to some more crops.

He said the Central government is in favour of improving the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana Scheme for the benefit of farmers.