NEW DELHI: Nearly a crore farmers have been added under the rejigged farm insurance scheme PM Fasal Bima Yojana with numbers rising from 4.85 crore in 2015-16 to 5.74 crore in 2016-17, according to official statistics provided to the public accounts committee of Parliament.
The government claimed to have scored some success in increasing the number of non-loanee farmers whose numbers have risen from 60 lakh to 135 lakh in the same period, addressing a key shortcoming of previous schemes that seemed tilted in favour of farmers who have taken loans.
The ministry of agriculture and farmers welfare has said the government is particularly targeting non-loanees to ensure a greater degree of inclusion of small and marginal farmers. The ministry said data on this segment was not being fully captured by banks, particularly cooperatives, and there were discrepancies.
The data tracking has improved with real time information for farmers, including share-croppers and tenants, being recorded by the integrated crop insurance portal. The government said funds have been released against demands raised by insurance companies from 2014-15 onwards.
The ministry has responded to audit observations by the comptroller and auditor general that there were delays in receipt of yield data by pointing to the new scheme's provisions for compulsory use of smart phones and an agri app that transmits images along with location and time stamp.
With the operationalisation of the portal, tracking of claim settlements and direct crediting of amounts to the accounts of farmers has become feasible. The seeding of Aadhaar with accounts is further helping reduce the chances of irregularities in claim disbursements. There are improvements in sown area verification through new technologies such as drone, remote sensing and satellite imagery. Areas where discrepancies were noticed are being scanned closely.
In earlier crop insurance schemes, rates of premium were only applicable for normal coverage, equivalent to loan amounts for loanee farmers, the ministry has said. "Though there was provision for higher coverage up to 150 per cent of the average of yield of notified crops it was on payment of commercial/ actuarial premium rates which were mostly higher than the administered rates, therefore farmers may not have opted for higher sum insured," the ministry has informed the PAC.
The government also said that it has got private insurers to refund premiums to farmers whose proposals were rejected in the Rabi 2012-13 season. The empanelled companies have been asked to formulate electronic transfers and remittances.
The government claimed to have scored some success in increasing the number of non-loanee farmers whose numbers have risen from 60 lakh to 135 lakh in the same period, addressing a key shortcoming of previous schemes that seemed tilted in favour of farmers who have taken loans.
The ministry of agriculture and farmers welfare has said the government is particularly targeting non-loanees to ensure a greater degree of inclusion of small and marginal farmers. The ministry said data on this segment was not being fully captured by banks, particularly cooperatives, and there were discrepancies.
The data tracking has improved with real time information for farmers, including share-croppers and tenants, being recorded by the integrated crop insurance portal. The government said funds have been released against demands raised by insurance companies from 2014-15 onwards.
The ministry has responded to audit observations by the comptroller and auditor general that there were delays in receipt of yield data by pointing to the new scheme's provisions for compulsory use of smart phones and an agri app that transmits images along with location and time stamp.
With the operationalisation of the portal, tracking of claim settlements and direct crediting of amounts to the accounts of farmers has become feasible. The seeding of Aadhaar with accounts is further helping reduce the chances of irregularities in claim disbursements. There are improvements in sown area verification through new technologies such as drone, remote sensing and satellite imagery. Areas where discrepancies were noticed are being scanned closely.
In earlier crop insurance schemes, rates of premium were only applicable for normal coverage, equivalent to loan amounts for loanee farmers, the ministry has said. "Though there was provision for higher coverage up to 150 per cent of the average of yield of notified crops it was on payment of commercial/ actuarial premium rates which were mostly higher than the administered rates, therefore farmers may not have opted for higher sum insured," the ministry has informed the PAC.
The government also said that it has got private insurers to refund premiums to farmers whose proposals were rejected in the Rabi 2012-13 season. The empanelled companies have been asked to formulate electronic transfers and remittances.
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