PMFBY: Over Rs 1,000 Crore Crop Insurance Dues Not Yet Paid: Biju Janata Dal

Biju Janata Dal (BJD) raised an open issue of claims under Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana and Sasmit Patra, party spokesman told that claims of Odisha farmers worth Rs 100 billion were not yet settled by insurance companies.

Patra told media, lakhs of farmers of Odisha across Bargah, Deogarh, Sonehpur, Nuapada, Bolangir and Kalahandi districts are affected by PMFBY

He said that for Kharif 2020, the total premium paid to the insurance company was Rs.616.328 crore, while the payment made by the insurance company was Rs.5098.64 crore. As a result, the insurance company made a profit of Rs.1064.64 crore, he said. 

Patra said that between 2018 and 2020, Orissa farmers filed crop insurance claims for Rs.2090 crore, but the insurance company paid less than half of these claims, which were Rs.1026 crore. “Farmers have been repeatedly harassed by insurance companies when assessing claims and payments under PMFBY,” he said.  

He added that now is the time for the union government to correct these problems and help farmers in times of difficulty. 

“The government should use new technology such as drones to clear assessment of claims expeditiously and allow only government insurance companies to undertake PMFBY in order to safeguard the interest of the farmers,” he said. 

About Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana 

Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojna was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 18, 2016.

 21 states implemented the scheme in Kharif 2016, while 23 states and 2 UTs implemented the scheme in Rabi 2016-17. In 2016, about 3.7 crores of farmers in Kharif secured 3.7 crore hectares of land at a premium of Rs.16212 crore The insured amount was based on the data provided on March 31, 2017, which was 128568.94 crore.