Govt. Of India All Set To Launch A New Crop Insurance Policy
11 December, New Delhi
In a relief to farmers bearing double blow of natural calamity and high insurance premium, the government has announced that it is all set to roll out a new crop insurance policy which will bring down the premium to be paid by the farmer and put in place mechanism for quick disbursal of the amount.
Responding to concerns of the Members over the drought situation in the country on the fifth day of discussion in the Lok Sabha, Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Radha Mohan Singh said it took him 18 months since assuming office to understand the oppressive nature of policy framed by the previous UPA government. “For past 18-long months, since our government came to power, I have not understood that whether the insurance policy framed by the UPA government was made for the crop or the (insurance) companies,” Singh said.
“The farmer not only had to pay a high premium which was beyond his reach, but also had to wait for at least six months to get the amount,” he said. “You may now ask all you did for 18 months was studying the previous government’s policy. No. Our study is over. We are ready with a new, overhauled crop insurance policy which has reversed these two things. The premium will be low and amount disbursal will be quick and time bound,” the Minister said.
Studies have indicated that despite devastating results of natural calamities, very few farmers, about 20 per cent, in India were aware of provision of crop insurance and were availing it with Uttar Pradesh faring worst at just 3.5 per cent.Discussion in the House was marked by absence of Congress Members who continued to boycott in protest against summon for personal appearance of party president Sonia Gandhi and vice-president Rahul Gandhi in a court in National Herald case.
Stressing that the policy in place before the UPA government was still better, Singh said his government asked the states to opt back to the earlier crop insurance policy. “But some damage was already done before out government came. Some state government already put the UPA’s policy in operation, other were not interested,” the Minster said.