Lok Sabha Question No. 1243 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2021-02-09
Subject: Increasing Awareness about Farm Insurance
Ministry: AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
Asked by: Sarmistha Sethi, Anubhav Mohanty

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

## LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1243

TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 9 TH  FEBRUARY, 2021

## INCREASING AWARENESS ABOUT FARM INSURANCE

1243.  SHRIMATI SARMISTHA SETHI: SHRI ANUBHAV MOHANTY:

Will the Minister of AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE कृ ष एवं कसान कयाण मंी be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has taken any initiative to increase the awareness  of the farmers about the benefits of undertaking insurance schemes;
- (b) if  so,  the  mechanism that the Government proposes to employ to derive maximum benefit by encouraging as many farmers as possible to avail such insurance schemes; and
- (c) if  not,  the  steps proposed by the Government to motivate the farmers to avail such insurance schemes?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE

कृ ष एवं कसान कयाण मंी (SHRI NARENDRA SINGH TOMAR

(a) to (c): Government has taken several steps to create substantial awareness amongst all  stakeholders  including  farmers  on  key  features  of  Prdhan  Mantri  Fasal  Bima  Yojana (PMFBY).   The Government has actively supported the awareness activities being carried out  by  the  States,  implementing  Insurance  Companies,  financial  institutions  and  CSC network  to  disseminate  key  features  of  PMFBY  amongst  farmers  and  members  of Panchayati  Raj  Institutions  (PRIs).  All  the  grass  root  level  organisations  responsible  to implement  PMFBY  are  actively  involved  in  building  capacity  of  farmers  to  take  informed decisions.  Since, the Revamped PMFBY is being implemented from Kharif 2020, and has been  made  voluntary  for  all  the  farmers,  the  behavioral  change  communication  activities were conducted through various media tools viz Print, electronic, Digital and Social Media etc.    As  enshrined  in  the  operational  guidelines  of  the  PMFBY,  the  Insurance  companies have  been  asked  to  utilize  0.5%  fund  of  the  gross  premium  collected  by  them  on Information, Education and Communication (IEC) activities at Gram panchayat level to build overall insurance literacy of farmers.

Apart from this, other activities for awareness generation involve the publicity of key features and benefits of the scheme through advertisements in leading National and local newspapers,  airing  of  audio-visual  spots  on  regional  /  local  channels,  distribution  of  IEC material in local language, dissemination of SMS through Kisan / National Crop Insurance Portal  (NCIP)  and  organisation  of  online  workshops  of  all  stakeholders  including  farmers and other key stakeholders.

The new feature on Crop Insurance App viz. integration of crop loss intimation feature in  Crop  Insurance  App  is  being  widely  promoted  through Social  and  Digital  Media  as  the feature  has  been  facilitating  farmers  to  intimate  their  crop  loss  due  to  localised  calamity within the prescribed time limit.

The  Government  has  also  produced  a  series  of  audio-visual  materials  on  key features  of  PMFBY  and  promoted  through  a  dynamic  social  and  digital  media  campaign during the Covid-19 lockdown period.

Dedicated awareness programmes have been made at Gram Panchyat level in the districts selected under Krishi Kalyan Abhiyan-I, II and III.

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