Bhubaneswar: The state government Tuesday sought extension of cut-off date for registration of farmers under Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) till August 16.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has written to Union Agriculture Minister Radhamohan Singh impressing upon him to issue suitable directives for extension of the cut-off date for farmers’ registration in the state ahead of Kharif 2017-18 season.
Patnaik said the move will safeguard the interests of farmers in the state. Patnaik said in view of the Central package to cover 40 per cent of the farming population under Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY), the state government has made plans to cover 25 lakh farmers (22 lakh borrowers and three lakh non-loanees) and 20 lakh hectares area under the programme to provide them a safety net.
He, however, pointed out that, “While the registration of the farmers had picked up momentum, the entire system got upset due to snags in the central crop insurance portal.
“The linking of common service centre portal (the main registration point for non-loanee farmers) to crop insurance portal had failed, thereby increasing the load on the banks which were already busy providing coverage to the indebted farmers,” Patnaik said in the letter, adding, “As a result, the farmers were compelled to run from pillar to post for registration.
“At certain places, law and order situation arose due to complete failure of registration system,” Naveen said.
Notably, the state government has decided to include 25 lakh farmers in the insurance coverage for 2017 Kharif crop. The new target is eight lakh more farmers compared to 17 lakh farmers in 2016 during Kharif Marketing Season under crop insurance. Paddy, peanuts, cotton, turmeric, ginger, Arhara and grams have been brought under crop insurance scheme to meet farmers’ needs. Farmers will have to pay a maximum of two per cent premium for the insurance, officials from the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) said.
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