Farmers move consumer court seeking crop insurance

Nabarangpur: Acting on a written complaint of farmers, the District Consumer Court here slapped a notice on local tehsildar, Deputy Director of agriculture Nabarangpur, Secretary Agriculture Department and Cholamandalam MS General Insurance company.

Fifty-five farmers belonging to 10 different blocks in Nabarangpur district have not yet received their insurance money premiums for the 2018 kharif crop under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY). Hence they moved court seeking disbursement of insurance, a report said.

After repeatedly ventilating their woes at the grievance cell of the District Collector and Deputy Director of the Agriculture Department, they got disheartened as the district authorities failed to provide them relief. According to sources, the Nabarangpur unit of the State Agriculture Department circulated leaflets, informing farmers to insure their crops like paddy, maize, groundnut and arhar dal for 2018 kharif crop season.

However, as per the State Government norms, insuring crops was optional for those farmers who had invested their own capital and it was compulsory for those who had availed bank loans. Farmers were required to pay the insurance premium after registering their names at the nearest bank, Janseva Kendra, Primary Agricultural Credit Society (PACS) or Large Area Multi-purpose Cooperative Society (LAMPS), as per the norms.

Accordingly, paddy farmers of Nabarangpur district deposited premiums at the rate of Rs 370 per acre. The farmers are said to have deposited nearly Rs 925 per hectare. Subsequently, the State Government declared Nabarangpur district as drought affected. Out of 896 villages, 754 were surveyed jointly by the Revenue and Agriculture Departments. A loss assessment report was submitted to the government, after crop cutting.

Although, a few of the farmers have already received their payments under PMFBY, many others are still running from pillar to post to get the amount meant for them. Notably, 55 farmers of Jambaguda village under Nabarangpur block and Kamata village under Tentulikhunti block had lodged a complaint in the court August 9.

Source: Orissa Post