Ahead of Rabi crop season beginning October 1, Gram Sabhas across the country have been asked to inform the farmers about the enrolment and benefits of Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojan (PMFBY). The Gram Sabhas will also inform the farmers on how they can insure their crops under the Scheme.
After tweaking the guidelines of the PMFBY to reach out maximum number of farmers ahead of the assembly polls in five states due this year and Lok Sabha polls in 2019, the Ministry of Agriculture has asked the Ministry of Panchayati Raj and the Stats and Union Territories to include this as an agenda.
The Ministry has come out with revised guidelines of PMFBY allowing coverage for crop loss due to attack of wild animals, cloud brust, hailstroms, natural fire besides unseasonal and cyclonic rainfalls and lanslides.
The Government has also decided to include perennial horticultural crops under the ambit of PMFBY on a pilot basis.
According to the ministry, as many as 1.20 crore farmers have benefited from the crop insurance scheme during the Kharif season last year and the Rabi season in 2016-17 as compared to 1.62 crore in 2013-14. There is a decline of over 42 lakh farmers who could not be benefitted from crop insurance scheme under PMFBY. In 2016-17, over 5.73 crore farmers have insured their crop while 3.33 crore farmers in 2013-14. In 2016-17, gross premium collections of insurance companies - both charged to farmers as well as subsidy received from the Centre and States — amounted to Rs 22,180 crore. As against this, total claims to the tune of Rs 15,352 crore were paid to the farmers.
After the revised guidelines of PMFBY, the Ministry expects the companies to reduce premium rates, especially as the general cut-off date for enrolment has been advanced by 15 days for both seasons. As per the revised operational guidelines, the farmers get 72 hours to intimate individual claims against the existing 48 hours.
This can be done through any of the channels provided under the Scheme and directly on the portal of PMFBY. In case of any grievance, the farmers can access dedicated grievance redressal authorities. Revised operational guidelines provide for appointment of District Level Grievance Redressal Officer and creation of State and District Grievance Redressal Cells for fast redressal of grievances.
Non-loanee farmers can approach designated Common Service Centres, banks and insurance agents for insuring their crops or directly enrol on the portal. Those farmers who avail short term crop loans from formal financial institutions at concessional rates of interest are automatically covered under the Scheme.
To ensure that more non-loanee farmers are insured under the scheme, apart from various awareness activities being scheduled, the insurance companies are given a target of enrolling 10 per cent more non-loanee farmers than the previous corresponding season.