New Delhi Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar has asked the farmers on Friday to get the Prime Minister Crop Insurance Scheme (PMFBY) registered before the last date for protection from damage to the kharif crop due to unforeseen natural calamities. Tomar said that the enrollment of farmers under the Pradhan Mantri Crop Insurance Scheme for the Kharif 2020 season is going on in full swing across the country and they request more and more farmers to avail the scheme.
In some states and union territories, the deadline for the current Kharif 2020 season is 31 July 2020. He said that the Center has made enrollment free for all the farmers who need to pay only a premium amount.
The Agriculture Minister said, “Even in this era of Corona epidemic, the farmers of the country are sweating their fields. Due to his hard work, today the country has become self-sufficient in grain production and will continue to be so. The Government of India started the Pradhan Mantri Crop Insurance Scheme in the year 2016 to provide relief to the farmers from the loss of crops due to natural calamities. Due to the implementation of the government’s development policy and plan, appropriate changes were also made in this scheme from time to time.
He further said, ‘In this scheme crop insurance is provided to the farmers at very low premium. The remaining part of the premium is provided by the Government of India and the State Governments also contribute to it. The scheme has been made voluntary for farmers from the Kharif-2020 season, but I request all the peasant brothers to get crop insurance for their well being, their welfare and protection of their livelihood. This proves to be a boon for farmers during the crisis period. Claims of over Rs 8,090 crore have been paid under the scheme during the lockdown.
Tomar said, “The scheme has accumulated a premium of Rs 13,000 crore in the last three years, but when the natural calamity came, the farmers received 4 and a half times the premium as compensation of about Rs 64,000 crore.” Tomar said that there has been no change in the premium share. This is 2 percent for the Kharif crop, 1.5 percent for the Rabi crop and a maximum of 5 percent for commercial and horticultural crops.
