Why In The News?
Farmers in Rajasthan’s Churu district held a ‘Kisan Ekta Tractor March’ demanding pending crop insurance claims, fertiliser availability, transparency in the insurance portal, and inclusion of certain crops in PM Dhan Dhanya Yojana. The protest was postponed after government assurances during late-night negotiations.
About Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY):
- Launch & Purpose:
- Launched on 18 February 2016 by the Ministry of Agriculture to provide affordable crop insurance and financial protection against losses from natural calamities, pests, and diseases.
- Implemented through insurance companies and banks.
- Objectives:
- Provide financial assistance for crop loss due to unforeseen events.
- Stabilise farmer income and ensure continuity in farming.
- Promote modern agricultural practices.
- Encourage crop diversification, enhance creditworthiness, and improve agriculture sector competitiveness.
- Eligibility:
- All farmers including sharecroppers and tenant farmers growing notified crops in notified areas.
- Compulsory: Loanee farmers with Seasonal Agricultural Operations (SAO) loans.
- Voluntary: Non-loanee farmers.
- Must have insurable interest and valid land ownership/tenure documents.
- Must not receive duplicate compensation from other sources.
- Special focus on SC/ST/Women farmers with proportional budget allocation.
- Benefits:
- Affordable Premiums:
- Farmers pay 2% for Kharif, 1.5% for Rabi, and 5% for commercial/horticultural crops.
- Government provides premium subsidy; pays full premium in NE states, J&K, and Himachal Pradesh.
- Comprehensive Coverage:
- Covers natural disasters, pests, diseases, and post-harvest losses (hailstorm, landslide).
- Excludes losses due to war, nuclear risks, malicious damage, or preventable risks.
- Timely Compensation:
- Claims processed within two months of harvest.
- Technology-Driven Implementation:
- Uses satellite imaging, drones, and mobile apps for precise loss estimation.
- NCIP for digital processing; YES-TECH for remote-sensing yield estimation; CROPIC for geotagged crop verification.
- Affordable Premiums:
| [UPSC 2020] In India, which of the following can be considered as public investment in agriculture? 1. Fixing Minimum Support Price for agricultural produce of all crops 2. Computerization of Primary Agricultural Credit Societies 3. Social Capital development 4. Free electricity supply to farmers 5. Waiver of agricultural loans by the banking system 6. Setting up of cold storage facilities by the governments Select the correct answer using the code given below: Options: (a) 1, 2 and 5 only (b) 1, 3, 4 and 5 only (c) 2, 3 and 6 only* (d) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 |
Get an IAS/IPS ranker as your 1: 1 personal mentor for UPSC 2024
