National
Crop insurance scheme loses sheen as coverage area reduces
By Saurabh Katkurwar
New Delhi, March 25 (IANS) The Narendra Modi government’s flagship crop insurance scheme, launched with much fanfare two years ago, has witnessed negative growth this year as the coverage has reduced to 24 per cent of gross cropped area (GCA) in 2017-18 from 30 per cent in 2016-17. This, when the actual target for the current year was 40 per cent.
Similarly, the number of farmers insured during both the kharif and rabi seasons has gone down by 14 per cent this year.
In 2017-18, the area insured under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) was 47.5 million hectares, as per the data accessed by IANS, which translates into 24 per cent of the GCA of 198.4 million hectares.
After the PMFBY was launched in February 2016, the area under coverage had gone up to 30 per cent in 2016-17 from 23 per cent under the old schemes a year ago.
As per the government’s targets, the coverage in 2017-18 should have increased to 40 per cent but has actually reduced to 24 per cent.
Thus, the government’s final target of bringing 50 per cent (98 million hectares) of the GCA under the PMFBY in 2018-19, which has been allocated Rs 13,000 crore in the Budget, appears to be an impractical goal.
Under the scheme, farmers have to pay just two per cent of the total premium in case of the kharif crop, 1.5 per cent for rabi and five per cent for horticulture. The remaining premium is equally shared by the Centre and the states.
The central government has been citing poor implementation by the states for the lackadaisical response to the scheme. State officials say the bid of private insurance companies for more profit and delay in settlement of claims are crucial factors for the decline.
Interestingly, the scheme has performed poorly in the BJP-ruled states of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh and Uttar Pradesh, while it has received a good response in non-BJP states like Telangana and Tamil Nadu.
The crop insurance scheme has also witnessed a 14 per cent drop in the number of farmers insured to 47.9 million in 2017-18 from 55.3 million in 2016-17.
A state Agriculture Secretary said farmers had lost interest as the compensation was either denied or delayed, besides flaws with the crop-cutting experiment to obtain accurate estimates of crop output.
“The new scheme permits insurance company representatives to take part in the crop-cutting experiments. We have noticed that they lower the threshold level of the output than the ideal. So farmers cannot claim even if their actual output is low since it will be above the threshold limit,” the official said, requesting anonymity.
According to farmers in Madhya Pradesh, they received their compensation six months after filing their claims.
The government had allocated Rs 5,500 crore in the budget for 2016-17, which was increased to Rs 13,240 crore. In 2017-18, the allocation was Rs 9,000 crore. For 2018-19, the government has provided Rs 13,000 crore with a target to bring 98 million hectares — close to 50 per cent of gross cropped area — under the scheme.
(Saurabh Katkurwar can be contacted at [email protected] )
–IANS
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Lucknow: Vishal Singh, a renowned social worker from Lucknow, also known as Foodman, has once again made India proud. He was honored by the Happy Hands Gloves Cooperative Limited Company in Korathai, Thailand, for his work with the Hunger Free World Mission.
The Hunger Free World Mission’s meeting was held in Korathai, Thailand, under Vishal Singh’s leadership. Representatives from several countries, including Mr. Raja Dwivedi (Managing Director of Happy Hands Gloves Limited), Thailand Coordinator Mr. Raja Mishra, and member Mr. Varun Singh, attended the event.
Under Vishal Singh’s leadership, the attendees took a pledge to work together toward creating a hunger-free world.
Speaking on the occasion, Vishal Singh explained that the main goal of the Hunger Free World Mission is social participation. He said the mission is not just about feeding people but also about meeting other basic needs of those who are struggling. The mission focuses on helping families of terminally ill patients in hospitals by providing food and shelter. It also works to fulfill essential needs like education, jobs, and care for the elderly.
For the last 16 years, the Vijay Sri Foundation has been providing free services, benefiting thousands of people. Vishal Singh highlighted that the mission aims to gain global recognition like other organizations such as WHO, WWF, and Red Cross, which work for social causes.
During this meeting, Vishal Singh was appointed as the Chairman of the Hunger Free World Mission by representatives from various countries. They also discussed holding regular meetings in different countries to push the mission forward.
Business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has also supported this humanitarian mission, vowing to promote the idea of “Seva Parmo Dharma” (Service is the highest duty) worldwide. Vishal Singh praised him, stating that people like Dr .Abhishek Verma inspire others to work for the betterment of society.
Recently, Romania’s Ambassador, Mr . Daniela Sezonov Ţane, invited Vishal Singh to the Romanian Embassy in Delhi, where they discussed the mission in detail. Impressed by his humanitarian work, she honored Vishal Singh and invited him to Romania to take the mission forward .
Food man Vishal Singh has been serving the people of India for the past 16 years. Through the Vijay Sri Foundation, he provides free meals to cancer patients & their families ,shelter, and education for women & children along with running free old-age homes in Lucknow.
In addition to his humanitarian work, Vishal Singh also addresses issues like crime and corruption through his role as Chairman of Seva Path Media and Managing Director of Vijay Sri Foundation.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Vishal Singh and his team worked tirelessly to provide food and help to the needy, including starving children, elderly citizens, and pregnant women. Despite contracting the virus himself, he continued to assist others after his recovery. He even created a life-saving oxygen regulator using household items, which was praised by doctors both in India and abroad.
In his address at the meeting, Vishal Singh spoke about his mission to create a hunger-free world. He pointed out that India’s large population, along with issues like unemployment and poverty, has caused the country to fall on the Hunger Index. He urged people to contribute just one handful of grains daily to help create a hunger-free world.
He concluded by saying that through social participation, we can empower the people around us, meet their basic needs, and work together to build a stronger, more prosperous, and developed society.
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