Farmers of Komna block of Nuapada district gheraoed the Budhikomna branch of the Utkal Gramya Bank (UGB) on Monday for more than four hours demanding release of their insurance money under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) for the year 2016.
Hundreds of farmers had insured their crops by depositing the premium amounts at the bank’s Budhikomna branch in 2016. The total insured amount of Rs 22 lakh has already been transferred to the bank by the insurance company in August 2017. But the bank is yet to transfer the amount to the bank accounts of the respective farmers even after seven months.
The UGB Branch Manager said that the insurance company has not yet provided the list of eligible farmers, due to which the branch is unable to transfer the amounts to the insurers.
After long discussions with the higher officials in the UGB Regional Office at Balangir, the Branch Manager gave in writing that the amounts would be transferred to the beneficiaries’ accounts within a week.
BJP District Krushak Morcha president Sanjay Tiwari, State executive member Jadumani Panigrahi, RSS district head Pustam Sunani and Manijar Arya led the farmers’ bank gherao stir.