Farmers still await insurance money under PM scheme

BERHAMPUR: Farmers in Ganjam, having already weathered unseasonal rains and widespread pest attacks last year, are now faced with an interminable wait for their insurance claims under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana.
Around eight months have passed since the twin calamities of the pest attack and the rains hit farmers across the state in November last year. Many of them had insured their crops with the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) by paying the required premium amount. However, farmers of the district allege that none of their claims have been fulfilled yet.

"Farmers in Ganjam will be forced to agitate if there is further delay in the settlement of the claims," said Trinath Biswal, president of the Rushikulya Raita Mahasabha, a farmers' organisation operational in the district. Biswal said it was possible that growing resentment among the farmers here could soon lend itself to a widespread movement.

"We do not understand why there needs to be such an inordinate delay in fulfilling such an essential claim. At this point, we are suspecting that victims might not even get the amount due to them when they do get money eventually," said Rabi Rath, convenor of the farmers' body Chasi Surakshya Abhiyan. Rath said he has already communicated the demands of the farmers for speedy settlement of claims to the relevant district authorities.

Many farmers allege that victims could have been given the insurance amount as soon as the loss was assessed. "There is provision for mid-term adversities in the scheme. But the farmers in the district could not get the same due to lack of coordination between government officials and private insurance companies," alleged Brundaban Khatei, a zilla parishad member.

More than 2.60 lakh farmers in the district were affected by the loss of crops to unseasonal rains and pest attack in November, 2017. The government had paid a total of Rs 92 crore to victims as compensation. Deputy registrar of cooperative societies, S K Panda, said the issue was discussed at the meeting of the agriculture and cooperative officers of ten southern Odisha districts held at Chhatrapur on last Tuesday.