Lok Sabha Question No. 209 (STARRED), answered on 2018-01-02
Subject: Crop Insurance Claims
Ministry: AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
Asked by: ANANDRAO  ADSUL, SHIVAJI ADHALRAO PATIL

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, COOPERATION & FARMERS WELFARE

## LOK  SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 209

TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 2 ND  JANUARY, 2018

## CROP INSURANCE CLAIMS

- *209.       SHRI ANANDRAO ADSUL: SHRI ADHALRAO PATIL SHIVAJIRAO:

Will  the  Minister  of  AGRICULTURE  AND FARMERS WELFARE कृ ष एवं कसान कयाण ½ãâ¨ããè be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  the  crop  insurance  claim  is  calculated  on  the  basis  of crop-cutting experiments and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether  it  is  a  fact  that  there  has  always  been  a  problem  in  getting  timely  and accurate data for expediting payment of insurance claims to the farmers and if so, the facts thereof;
- (c) whether in order to reduce the delay in settling insurance claims for crop damage, the Government proposes to review crop insurance assessment method and plans to use drones, satellite-based imaging and geospatial technology to get timely and accurate data on yields and if so, the details along with the salient features thereof; and
- (d) the manner in and the extent to which it will be helpful for farmers?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE

कृ ष एवं कसान कयाण ½ãâ¨ããè

(SHRI RADHA MOHAN SINGH)

(a) to (d): A statement is laid on the Table of the House.

## STATEMENT  REFERRED  TO  IN  REPLY  TO  PARTS  (a)  TO  (d)  OF  LOK  SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO.  209   DUE FOR REPLY ON  2 ND  JANUARY, 2018.

(a) to (d) : Yes, Madam.   Claim amounts for wide spread calamites under yield index based Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY)  are calculated based on the yield data  arrived  from  conduct  of  requisite  number  of  Crop  Cutting  Experiments  (CCEs). However, losses due to localized risks of hailstorm, landslide and inundation and postharvest losses are calculated on individual insured farm level and not on the basis of CCEs.

Under  PMFBY,  the  insurance  unit  area  has  been  reduced  to  Village/village Panchayat  for  major  crops  and  States  have  to  conduct  atleast  4  CCEs  per  crop  at village/village panchayat level, 10 at Mandal/Phirka/Revenue Circle/Hobli or any other equivalent unit, 16 at Taluka/Tehsil/Block level and 24 at district level.  As a result the total  number of CCEs to be conducted has increased tremendously.    This is further aggravated by the fact that only a small window is available for conduct of CCEs.  In the circumstances, manual data collection and manual transmission to insurance companies impedes timely and accurate yield data, which in turn leads to delay in claim processing and settlement.  Keeping this in view under PMFBY, realtime collection and transmission of  yield  data  through  Smartphone/CCE Agri  App  was  initiated and  even made  mandatory  for  Kharif  2017  season.      In  addition,  use  of  Remote  Sensing Technology  (RST)  including  satellite  data,  drones  based  images  etc.  is  also  being harnessed, especially for CCE  planning and risk mapping  of districts and for dispute/area discrepancy resolution.

Use of smart technology for various aspects of the crop insurance programme will ensure  rationalization  of  actuarial  premium  rates,  facilitate  auto  calculation  of  claims based  on  realtime  yield  data  for    timely  settlement  of  claims  thereby  benefitting  the farming community.

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