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LATEST NEWS UPDATES | Bona fide blow to crop balm by Amit Gupta

Bona fide blow to crop balm by Amit Gupta

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published Published on Aug 23, 2010   modified Modified on Aug 23, 2010


Farmers in the state, already reeling from the impact of a drought that has stalked them for the last two years, now have to prove their “authenticity” to reap the benefits of a crop insurance policy they registered for in 2009.

The near-impossible task of checking the veracity of each and every claim, which run into lakhs, will have to be completed before August 31 by the respective district administrations, delaying relief for the distressed farmers.

The authorities have been asked to crosscheck whether each claimant actually possesses the agricultural plot they are supposed to be compensated for following crop failure.

The state co-operative department, the nodal agency responsible for paying crop insurance cover benefits to farmers, directed the deputy commissioners of all the 24 districts to verify the authenticity of the claims before doling out sops.

“This is like asking a critically ill patient too many questions in the intensive care unit of a hospital. Any exercise of this kind should have been undertaken last year itself when the farmers were insuring their crops. Junior employees in the revenue department, who will actually carry out the authentication process, may take up illegal means and ask the poor peasants for money to clear their cases,” said a deputy commissioner, requesting anonymity.

The farmers should have got the crop insurance benefits of 2009 well before the monsoon set in this year to allow them to purchase seeds, fertilisers and employ labourers.

Now, they need the money to get their standing crop insured this year by paying a premium of Rs 92 per acre through the large area multipurpose societies (LAMPS) in each and every block of the state.

However, a blunder in plan outlay resulted in only Rs 5 crore being kept aside under crop insurance benefit head by the co-operative department when the state needed Rs 138 crore as its share to provide relief to farmers of all 24 districts declared drought hit last year.

The state needs to distribute Rs 304 crore among over 12 lakh farmers of the region this year for crop failure in 2009. Out of that, Rs 138 crore each is to be given by the state and Centre and the rest by the Agriculture Insurance Company of India Limited.

Bina Mishra, deputy secretary in the state co-operative department, told The Telegraph that they had now arranged for Rs 138 crore of the state’s share from different departments, including the bulk of it from the water resources department.

“We are now waiting for the Centre’s allotment. But the benefits can be distributed only after the districts send authentication reports of farmers and plots insured last year,” she maintained.

So no matter how badly affected, small farmers can only hope to reap crop insurance benefits earliest by September.

As cash-strapped small and marginal farmers cannot buy agricultural insurance policies, they will have to depend on moneylenders, who charge exorbitant interest rates, to put together the premium amount.

A visit to Tamar block revealed that LAMPS officials are charging Re 1 to Rs 2 for insurance application forms, which they are supposed to distribute free to peasants. They are also charging Rs 3 to Rs 8 extra for premium for per acre insured.


The Telegraph, 23 August, 2010, http://www.telegraphindia.com/1100823/jsp/frontpage/story_12842628.jsp


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