Lok Sabha Question No. 2615 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2016-05-10
Subject: Farmers covered under Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana
Ministry: AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
Asked by: SUBHASH CHANDRA BAHERIA, RAJESH VERMA

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

## LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2615

TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 10 TH   MAY, 2016

## FARMERS COVERED UNDER PRADHAN MANTRI FASAL BIMA YOJANA

## 2615.        SHRI SUBHASH CHANDRA BAHERIA: SHRI RAJESH VERMA:

Will the Minister of AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE कृ षि एवं ककसान कल्याण मंत्री be pleased to state:

(a) the percentage of crops/farmers targeted to be covered under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) during the current year and the number of farmers covered/benefited by the new crop insurance scheme so far;

(b) the  details  of  the  efforts  being  made  to  cover  maximum  crops  under  the  said  crop insurance scheme;

(c) the  details  of  the  measures  taken  by  the  Government  to  popularize  the  new  crop insurance scheme among the farmers;

(d) whether  the  Government  is  considering  to  include  fisheries  under  the  said  crop insurance scheme, if not, the reasons therefor; and

(e) the steps taken by the Government to make the scheme fruitful and popular among the farmers?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE

कृ षि एवं ककसान कल्याण मंत्राऱय में राज्य मंत्री (SHRI  MOHANBHAI  KUNDARIYA)

(a): The Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) targets coverage of 30% of the total cropped area of the country during current financial year i.e. 2016-17. Loaning for Kharif 2016 season has commenced from 1 st April,  2016 and coverage details are not made available by financial institutions/insurance companies.

(b): The PMFBY envisages coverage of food crops, oilseeds, pulses and annual commercial/ horticultural  crops  for  which  past  yield  data  based  on  requisite  number  of  Crop  Cutting Experiments  (CCEs)  is  available  and  the  State/UT  Government  has  the  capacity  to  conduct requisite  number  of  CCEs  to  know  the  yield  of  the  crop.  Besides  above  crops,  Perennial commercial/horticultural crops can be covered under Weather Based Crop Insurance Scheme (WBCIS).  State  Governments  are  regularly  persuaded  to  notify  more  and  more  crops  under PMFBY.

O.I.H

(c): To enhance the coverage of farmers/areas and to popularize the PMFBY, Government is undertaking  a  comprehensive  publicity  and  awareness  programme  to  educate  the  farmers about the benefit of crop insurance schemes. Capacity building and training programmes for other stakeholders are also being organized. The salient activities under awareness campaign, involve  the  publicity  of  features  &  benefits  of  the  scheme  through  advertisements  in  leading National/local  News  Papers,  telecast  through  audio-visual  media,  distribution  of  pamphlets, participation  in  agriculture  fairs/mela/gosti  and  organization  of  workshops/trainings  and  SMS through  Kisan  Portal  etc.  State  governments/UTs  are  also  being  regularly  persuaded  to increase the coverage including notifying more crops under crop Insurance schemes. Recently, one  day  seminar/Kisan  fair  especially  on  the  PMFBY  has  been  organized  at  various  Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) between 30 th March to 5 th April, 2016 throughout the country.

- (d) No Madam. There is no such proposal under consideration of the Government.

(e): The new scheme provided enhanced coverage of risks, adequate sum insured, lower premium to the farmers, early settlement of claims, better administration and transparency etc. The scheme envisages coverage of 50% of the total cropped area under Crop Insurance in the country within next 2-3 years. Salient features of the PMFBY are at Annexure.

Premium rates under Weather Based Crop Insurance Scheme (WBCIS) have also been reduced and brought at par with new scheme.

## Salient Features of PMFBY

- i) Provide  comprehensive  insurance  coverage  against  crop  loss  on  account  of  nonpreventable  natural  risks,  thus  helping  in  stablising  the  income  of  the  farmers  and encourage them for adoption of innovative practices.
2. ii) Increase the risk coverage of Crop cycle-pre-sowing to post-harvest losses.
3. iii) Area approach for settlement of claims for widespread damage. Notified Insurance unit has been reduced to Village/Village Panchayat for major crops.
4. iv) Uniform maximum premium of only 2%, 1.5% and 5% to be paid by farmers for all Kharif crops, Rabi Crops and Commercial/horticultural crops respectively.
- v) The difference between premium and the rate of Insurance charges payable by farmers shall be provided as subsidy and shared equally by the Centre and State.
6. vi) Uniform seasonality discipline & Sum Insured for both loanee and non-loanee farmers.
7. vii) Removal of the provision of capping on premium and reduction of sum insured to facilitate farmers to get claim against full sum insured without any reduction.
8. viii) Inundation  has  been  incorporated  as  a  localized  calamity  in  addition  to  hailstorm  and landslide for individual farm level assessment.
9. ix) Provision of individual farm level assessment for Post harvest losses against the cyclonic &  unseasonal  rains  for  the  crops  kept  in  the  field  for  drying  upto  a  period  of  14  days, throughout the country.
- x) Provision of claims upto 25% of sum insured for prevented sowing.
11. xi) 'On-Account  payment'  upto  25%  of  sum  insured  for  mid  season  adversity,  if  the  crop damage is reported more than 50% in the insurance unit.  Remaining  claims based on Crop Cutting Experiments (CCEs) data.
12. xii) For  more  effective  implementation,  a  cluster  approach  will  be  adopted  under  which  a group of districts with variable risk profile will be allotted to an insurance company through bidding for a longer duration upto 3 years.
13. xiii) Use of Remote Sensing Technology, smartphones & Drones for quick estimation of crop losses to ensure early settlement of claims.
14. xiv) Crop  Insurance  Portal  has  been  launched.  This  will  be  used  extensively  for  ensuring better administration, co-ordination, transparency and dissemination of information.
15. xv) Focused attention on increasing awareness about the schemes among all stakeholders and appropriate provisioning of resources for the same.
16. xvi) The claim amount will be credited electronically to the individual farmer's Bank Account.
17. xvii) Adequate publicity in all the villages of the notified districts/areas.
18. xviii)  Premium rates under Weather Based Crop Insurance Scheme (WBCIS) have also been reduced and brought at par with new scheme. Further, capping on Actuarial premium and reduction in sum insured has been removed in this scheme also.
19. xix) In  addition,  a  Unified  Package  Insurance  Scheme  (UPIS)  has  also  been  approved  for implementation on pilot  basis  in  45  districts  of  the  country  from  Kharif  2016  season  to cover the other assets/activities like machinery, life, accident, house and student-safety for  farmers alongwith their notified crop (under PMFBY/Weather Based Crop Insurance Scheme - WBCIS).

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