Farmers for more powers to State govt. in implementing crop insurance scheme

The Thamizhaga All Farmers Organisation Coordination Committee has sought more powers for the State government in the implementation of Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (crop insurance scheme).

In the memorandum submitted to the Central team on Tuesday during its inspection of delta districts to assess the damages and crop loss caused due to rain, Committee president P.R. Pandian said the State government should be empowered to formulate the guidelines for assessment of crop loss and empowered legally to monitor the companies implementing the crop insurance schemes.

The present practice of considering test harvest results for determining the compensation should be dispensed with, and revenue village-based rainfall data should be considered for arriving at the compensation.

This year, the rain which started in the first week of October, adversely affected the standing

kuruvai paddy and inundated the young

samba paddy in about 50% of the cultivated areas in each revenue village in the delta districts, he said.

Exhorting the Central government to revise its percentage of contribution in PMFBY back to 49%, he sought the establishment of a sub-regional office of National Agricultural Crop Insurance Corporation in Thanjavur and also to declare the NACIC as the sole crop insurance implementing agency.

At the same time, the Centre should ensure that the crop insurance compensation was distributed within three months from the date of completion of the assessment of crop loss.

The committee also sought ₹30,000 per acre as compensation for the loss of kuruvai crop suffered by farmers due to the recent incessant rain. Since the State government was not able to enter into an agreement with the insurance companies to provide insurance cover for the kuruvai crop within time, farmers were not able to insure their crops. Hence, the Central and State governments should take the responsibility of compensating the kuruvai loss suffered by farmers by providing ₹30,000 per acre. Apart from this, an input compensation of ₹10,000 per acre for paddy should also be extended.

The committee urged the Central government to declare Tamil Nadu as ‘disaster-prone’ as the annual monsoon floods had become routine and provide necessary funds to the State.