Gujarat govt asks insurance firms to assess crop damage by floods

At a time when farmers are staring at kharif crop losses caused by floods, the Gujarat government has asked crop insurance companies to assess the losses and clear farmers’ claims.

State Agriculture Minister RC Faldu said the State Agriculture Department has commissioned a crop assessment in the excess-rainfall regions of the State, including Saurashtra and Kutch.

“We have also asked the four crop insurance companies that are operational in the State to clear the claims of the farmers who have paid their premiums and sustained heavy losses in their kharif crops. These companies have been asked to conduct a survey and make the payments according to the extent of damages,” said Faldu. The four crop insurance companies operational in Gujarat are Bharti Axa General Insurance, Universal Sompo General Insurance Co, Agriculture Insurance Company of India and Reliance General Insurance Company.

Farmer leaders maintained that the Prime Minister Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) has a provision for crop failure due to excess rainfall. “We have asked farmer leaders to come forward and make applications for all the farmers, whose crops were damaged in water-logging or flooding. To claim their insurance under PMFBY, farmers can set up a gram samiti (village committee) under a village leader, which will assess the extent of damages. This will help them in getting the insurance claim faster,” said an agriculture official.

The State has received excess rainfall to the tune of 140.16 per cent of the normal average. The districts of Kutch, Saurashtra and South Gujarat received 173 per cent, 147 per cent and 143 per cent, respectively, of the normal average. Rainfall in the Central and North region is also in excess at 127 per cent and 117 per cent, respectively.

Of the 204 reservoirs in the State, 119 are full with 100 per cent filling. The water level of the Sardar Sarovar Dam, on the Narmada river, is at 98.67 per cent of its capacity.

Source: Business Line