Andhra Pradesh: 9.48 lakh farmers get Rs 1,252 crore for losses in 2019

VIJAYAWADA:  Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Tuesday launched ‘YSR Free Crop Insurance’ scheme and credited Rs 1,252 crore directly into the bank accounts of 9.48 lakh farmers, who have lost their crops during Kharif 2019. Speaking on the occasion, Jagan said the government has taken the responsibility of supporting the farmers in the hard times and thus brought in the free crop insurance scheme, without putting any burden of premium on them. 

During the previous government, for availing the insurance scheme, the farmers have to pay their share, while both State and Central governments used to pay their share.

However, neither the State nor the Centre used to pursue the insurance claims, resulting in farmers either receiving the insurance amount after a very long time or ending up losing the insurance.

In order to resolve this, the government has taken up the issue to benefit farmers and processed the claims in a fast-track mode, besides paying the entire premium on behalf of the farmers. In the previous government, farmers were reluctant to pay heavy premiums.

“Between 2016-19, in three years, the previous government had spent an average Rs 393 crore per annum towards insurance premium, while the farmers paid about Rs 290 crore per annum.

While only about 20 lakh farmers were enrolled for the insurance scheme during the previous TDP regime, in our government about 49.80 lakh farmers have been brought under the insurance cover and  the State government took the responsibility of paying Rs 971 crore towards premium during 2019-20,’’ Jagan said. 

In 2016-17, only 17.79 lakh farmers had insurance cover. In  2017-18, it became 18.22 lakh farmers and in 2018-19, 24.83 lakh. “In our government, during 2019-20, about 49.80 lakh farmers were brought under insurance coverage,” Jagan said.