The BJP on Wednesday described the new farmer crop insurance scheme as the “biggest incentive” for the farmers of the country since the Independence and said it would secure their crop at “very low premium”, target at least 50 per cent farmers and include even the damaged farm produce in the storage.
Talking to the mediapersons here at his residence, BJP president Amit Shah said the party was grateful to the Government, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh for launching the major scheme for the welfare of the country’s farmers.
The Modi Government’s crop insurance initiative, which is a major leap from the scheme existing since 2010, will be energetically taken to people by BJP’s Chief Ministers, Ministers, State leaderships and MPs.
According to sources, all Chief Ministers and State Ministers have been asked to address a Press conference on the issue, to begin with, and thereafter, create awareness about the benefits of the scheme among farmers at the grassroots level.
The rural-centric crop insurance scheme is expected to give the party a political push akin to the debt waiver scheme launched by the UPA-I regime by then Finance Minister P Chidambaram.
The UPA had on February 29, 2008 announced a relief package for the farmers, which included the complete waiver of loans given to small and marginal farmers to the tune of `60,000 crore aimed at benefiting three core small and marginal farmers.
Party insiders said that by bringing in a comprehensive crop insurance on “a very low premium”, the BJP has fulfiled its poll promise to “implement a farm insurance scheme to take care of crop loss due to unforeseen natural calamities”.
The party leaders hope that the ambitious plan may go a long way in creating traction with the rural masses and dilute the perception of its pro-industry image.
Under the scheme, farmers will get insurance even if their crop are submerged by water (other than caused by rain) and also those damaged in their storages, said Shah, adding the Government has targeted 50 per cent farmers from current 23 per cent under the new insurance scheme during this year. “The financial burden on the Government would increase by five-folds,” he maintained.