Collector K. Nanthakumar has announced that the State government and the National Agriculture Insurance Company had released their shares of Rs. 165 crore and the disbursement of the much-awaited crop insurance for the 2013-14 season would start on June 1.
The Collector made the announcement at the farmers’ grievance redressal meeting here on Friday after the farmers expressed their dismay over the inordinate delay in the payment of the insurance amount.
Amid cheers by the farmers, the Collector said that the State government and the Insurance Company had released their share of 55.71 per cent, amounting to Rs. 165.03 crore, and after the Centre released its share of Rs. 118.30 crore later this week, the disbursement would start on June 1.
He said that Rs. 161.22 crore had been credited in Ramanathapuram Central Cooperative Bank, and Rs. 3.81 crore in commercial banks.
By cheques
The Collector said that all the about one lakh farmers would be paid the amount through cheques to avoid any irregularity in disbursement. Primary Agriculture Cooperative Credit Societies (PACCS) would distribute cheques to the farmers and they could encash them at one of the 29 branches of Central Cooperative Bank, he said, adding separate counters would be opened for the purpose.
The beneficiary farmers should submit two photographs. While one photo would be affixed in the ledger against their name, the other one would be affixed on the backside of the cheque leaf with their signatures, the Collector said.
Farmers who did not want to encash the cheques immediately, could deposit them in their bank accounts, he added.
The district was allotted the highest amount of crop insurance in the State as the district administration had sent a report that farmers in most of the firkas had suffered 100 per cent crop loss following failure of both southwest and northeast monsoons during 2013-14.
A total of 99,463 farmers – 85,153 non-loanee and 14,310 loanee farmers – would be benefited in the district, official sources said.
