During 2017, the farmers enrolled for crop insurance for natural calamities like drought and loss due to insects in Jharsuguda district had not received any insurance claim money. The Tata AIG company doing insurance also did not attend the meeting called by the district Collector on July 12.
The farmers had almost lost their hopes of getting any insurance claim money. Recently Jharsuguda MlA Naba Kishore Das alongwith farmers Sananda Mohapatra, Aditya Kumar Patel, Sagar Kumar, lakhman Sahoo, Jitendra Patel, Dolagobinda Nayak and Gandhiram Behera etc. had presented their demands before Cooperation Minister Surjya Narayan Patro.
During 2016 Kharif crop, 770 farmers could not get any money against crop insurance claims due to faults of the Cooperative officials. MlA Das demanded strong and exemplary action against the officials and immediate payment of crop insurance to the affected farmers in 2017. Cooperative Registrar Gayatri Patnaik was also present during the meeting.
Sources said that the State Government permitted Tata AIG company to make crop insurance in Jharsuguda district. The company took crores of rupees through crop insurance of 50,356 hectares land of the district.
Towards premium, the company had taken Rs 12,500 per acre. In exchange, the company was to give Rs 60,000 towards insurance claim in case of the crop affected by drought or insects.
During last Kharif season, the company had declared to give compensation amount to only 10 panchayats showing them partially damaged. This shows how the farmers are cheated by the insurance company in the process.