Jamtikra: Services in various banks under Atabira block in Bargarh district were disrupted after irate farmers locked the banks over non-settlement of insurance claims under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) Tuesday.
Tension prevailed in the area as the agitating farmers warned the bank authorities of blocking the highway if they try to open the banks without clearing their payments.
The farmers under the aegis of Odisha Rajya Krushak Sangathan also decided to lock the banks for an indefinite period till their dues are settled under the Centre-sponsored insurance plan.
They alleged that farmers in many parts of Bargarh district suffered crop loss in the 2017 kharif season. However, the public sector owned National Insurance Company has not settled the claims of many farmers in various panchayats till date violating the norms of the scheme and ignoring the directives of a government led high-powered committee.
As a result, the farmers of the affected areas also launched an agitation and locked the office of the National Insurance Company in Sambalpur. Even as two years have passed since they applied for claims the banks are yet to settle their claims.
Tikelal Mishra, president of the outfit in Atabira, its secretary Chaitanya Karna, Bhishmadev Panda, Dasarath Bhoi, Anand Jal, Himanshu Pardhan and hundreds of farmers participated in the agitation.
PNN
