Lok Sabha Question No. 328 (STARRED), answered on 2019-07-16
Subject: Awareness Programmes for PMFBY
Ministry: AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
Asked by: Kapil Moreshwar Patil

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

## LOK  SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 328

TO BE ANSWERED ON THE   16 TH  JULY, 2019

## AWARENESS PROGRAMMES FOR PMFBY

- *328.       SHRI KAPIL MORESHWAR PATIL:
- Will the Minister of AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE कृ ष एवं कसान कयाण मंी be pleased to state:
- (a) the details of the farmers' fairs organised by the Government to increase awareness about the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) in the country, State-wise including Maharashtra;
- (b) the details of the other measures adopted by the Government to increase awareness about the scheme among farmers;
- (c) the names of the States where this crop insurance scheme has been launched;
- (d) whether the public sector insurance companies possessing the major market share of the insurance sector have been kept out of the ambit of crop insurance scheme; and
- (e) if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE

कृ ष एवं कसान कयाण मंी

(SHRI NARENDRA  SINGH TOMAR)

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

## STATEMENT  REFERRED  TO  IN  REPLY  TO  PARTS  (a)  TO  (e)  OF  LOK  SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 328  DUE FOR REPLY ON 16 TH  JULY, 2019.

(a) & (b): To  enhance  the awareness  about  Pradhan  Mantri  Fasal  Bima  Yojana (PMFBY)  among  all  the  stakeholders  Government  regularly  undertake  comprehensive publicity  and  awareness  programme  to  educate  the  farmers  about  the  benefit  of  crop insurance schemes.   After launch of PMFBY during 2016, 525 one day seminar/kisan fairs were organized at various Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) throughout the country.

Further,  under  the  Central  Sector  Scheme  of  'Mass  Media  Support  to  Agriculture Extension Scheme (MMSAE)', Government is doing publicity and creating awareness about schemes  of  the  Department  including  PMFBY.    Audio  Visual  spot  on  PMFBY  is  being telecast/broadcast  through  DD,  DD  Kisan  and  AIR  under  sponsored  programme  of  Mass Media Scheme from time to time.

PMFBY is also one of the focused area for Krishi Kalyan Abhiyan, implemented in two phases  during  Kharif  2018  and  Rabi  2018-19  in  the  selected  aspirational  districts.    The campaign focused on disseminating information through group meetings of farmers, training of functionaries and levaraging the potential of Gram  Sabhas  in respective  Gram Panchayats.

In addition, several communications have also been sent to the public representatives including  Members  of  Parliament,  representatives  of  Panchayti  Raj  Institutions  etc.   to encourage  farmers  to  take  benefit  of  the scheme.  Thereafter,  in  addition  to  above Government has also taken several initiatives including active involvement of all stakeholders especially States and implementing insurance companies for conduct of publicity campaign/awareness programmes  including organization of camps in the rural areas to build

-2- farmer awareness about crop insurance schemes.    Insurance companies have been asked to utilize 0.5% of gross premium collected by them for publicity and awareness generation. Other activities for awareness generation involve the publicity of features and benefits of the scheme  through  advertisements  in  leading  National/local  News  Papers,  telecast  through audio-visual media, distribution of pamphlets in local languages, participation in agriculture fairs  /  mela  /  goshti,  dissemination  of  SMS  through  Kisan  Portal/national  crop  insurance portal and conduct of workshops/ trainings of State officials, financial institutions and farmers. For  non-loanee  farmers  since  crop  insurance  is  optional,  the  Common  Service  Centres (CSCs) and online enrolment have been activated to provide the services besides traditional modes like banks and insurance intermediaries.   Due to the efforts made by the Government coverage of non-loanee, for whom the coverage is voluntary,  has increased from 5% under erstwhile schemes to 34%, which shows the acceptability of the scheme on voluntary basis.

Similarly,  all  implementing  States  also  undertaking  publicity  and  awareness  of  the scheme  by  organizing  camps,  fairs/melas/goshtis,  door  to  door  campaign  through  field functionaries of extension, agriculture, revenue department, Agriculture Technology Management  Agency  (ATMA).   Maharashtra  Government  has  also  undertaken  Samrudh Shetkari Abhiyan - a campaign for all farm related schemes including PMFBY at village level, between  25 th May  to  10 th June  i.e.  at  the  beginning  of  Kharif    2019  season.    Farmers' training  was  organized  in  17909  villages   of  the  State  during  this  abhiyan.  The  Statewise numbers  of  farmers'  fair  organized  by  concerned  State  Governments  and  Insurance Companies during year 2018-19 are annexed.

-3-

(c): The  Scheme  is  voluntary  for  the  States.   27  States/Union  Territories  opted  and implemented the scheme in one or more seasons viz. Andaman  & Nicobar Islands, Andhra Pradesh,  Assam,  Bihar,  Chhattisgar Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Odisha, Puducherry, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and West Bengal.

(d) & (e): No  Sir.   Agriculture  Insurance  Company  of  India  Ltd.  (AIC)  and  all  the  four Public Sector General Insurance companies namely, National Insurance Company Ltd., New India Assurance Company Ltd., Oriental Insurance Company Ltd. and United India Insurance Company  Ltd.  are  empanelled  for  implementation  of  the  crop  insurance  scheme  and participate in the bids for selection of insurance company by States.  The insurance company which  quotes  lowest  premium  rate  is  selected  by  the  concerned  State  Government  for implementation in that State.

## Annexure-I

## STATEMENT REFERRED TO PART (a) & (b) of LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 328 FOR  REPLY ON 16.07.2019.

## State-wise details of Farmer Fairs Organised during 2018-19 for PMFBY

| States                 |   Number of farmers' fairs organized by Insurance Companies Number organized Governments | farmers' fairs by State   |
|------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|---------------------------|
| Andhra Pradesh         |                                                                                      130 | 15000                     |
| ASSAM                  |                                                                                       95 | 0                         |
| Bihar                  |                                                                                        1 | 0                         |
| Chhattisgarh           |                                                                                      261 | 418                       |
| Dadra and Nagar Haveli |                                                                                        0 | 4                         |
| Gujarat                |                                                                                      152 | 246                       |
| Haryana                |                                                                                       90 | 655                       |
| Himachal Pradesh       |                                                                                       35 | 1744                      |
| Jammu & Kashmir        |                                                                                      137 | 592                       |
| Jharkhand              |                                                                                      251 | 0                         |
| Karnataka              |                                                                                      146 | 699                       |
| Kerela                 |                                                                                        0 | 13                        |
| Madhya Pradesh         |                                                                                      952 | 0                         |
| Maharashtra            |                                                                                      202 | 22                        |
| Manipur                |                                                                                       14 | 0                         |
| Odisha                 |                                                                                       57 | 8654                      |
| RAJASTHAN              |                                                                                      179 | 0                         |
| Sikkim                 |                                                                                        1 | 0                         |
| Tamil Nadu             |                                                                                        1 | 62                        |
| Telangana              |                                                                                       90 | 0                         |
| Uttar Pradesh          |                                                                                     3359 | 0                         |
| UTTARAKHAND            |                                                                                       45 | 0                         |
| West Bengal            |                                                                                      775 | 0                         |
| Total                  |                                                                                     6973 | 28109                     |
| Grand Total            |                                                                                    35082 |                           |

*****