Chidambaram terms Centre's decision on crop insurance schemes as 'anti-farmer, retrograde'
New Delhi, Feb 20: Senior Congress leader and former Finance Minister P Chidambaram called the Centre's decision to reduce its contribution to the Crop Insurance Scheme as an "anti-farmer and a retrograde" step.
Taking to Twitter, Chidambaram said the Centre's decision is an example of "BJP government's shortsightedness and misplaced priorities."
On Wednesday, the Centre made its crop insurance schemes voluntary for farmers with existing crop loans or those who are willing to take new ones.
In a tweet, Chidambaram said, "What is required is to bring more cropped area under crop insurance. The new decisions will reduce the coverage putting millions of farmers at risk."
Nothing can be more anti-farmer than the central government’s decision to reduce its contribution to the Crop Insurance Scheme.
— P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) February 20, 2020
What is required is to bring more cropped area under crop insurance. The new decisions will reduce the coverage putting millions of farmers at risk.
— P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) February 20, 2020
Another example of the BJP government’s shortsightedness and misplaced priorities.
— P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) February 20, 2020
The misuse of the Public Safety Act in Jammu & Kashmir continues, former IAS officer Faesal detained under thar Act. Shocking and shameful. Let’s see what bizarre reasons are contained in the order of detention.
— P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) February 15, 2020
Every Article of Part III of the Constitution is under threat. CAA is a challenge
— P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) February 15, 2020
to Articles 14 and 15. The detentions under PSA in
Kashmir are challenges to Articles 19 and 21.
This is the reason why every citizen should join the movement to Save the Constitution.
— P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) February 15, 2020
"Nothing can be more anti-farmer than the central government's decision to reduce its contribution to the Crop Insurance Scheme," he added.
Whoever drafted grounds of detention for Abdullah, Mufti needs to be sacked: Chidambaram
Revamping the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) and Restructured Weather Based Crop Insurance Scheme (RWBCIS), the central government increased its premium subsidy to 90 per cent for the Northeast states from existing sharing pattern of 50:50.
Addressing the media on this decision, Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmer's Welfare Narendra Singh Tomar said, "Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana has been made voluntary. Till now, crop insurance was mandatory for loanee, whose number has been about 58 per cent. The percentage of non-loanee farmers was around 42, which was only 5 per cent before 2015."