Post News Network
Bhubaneswar, April 29: The NHRC has issued summons under section 13 of the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993, to the Sambalpur district magistrate (DM) for his personal appearance before it for not looking into the matter of farmers not getting compensation for crop loss.
The commission, which has summoned the DM to appear before it May 26, 2015 and present a report on the matter, also directed the chairman-cum-managing director of Agriculture Insurance Co. of India Limited, Bhubaneswar, to submit a detailed report on the failure to process insurance claims of 229 farmers.
The NHRC expressed displeasure over the district magistrate’s silence over the matter. “The Sambalpur district magistrate has not submitted any report on the matter so far. It seems that no insurance claim has been processed by the Sambalpur district administration or the insurance company,” the panel pointed out.
A human rights activist lawyer lodged a complaint with NHRC August 4, 2014, alleging that 229 farmers of Gundurchuan gram panchayat in Sambalpur district did not get their insurance money after their crops were damaged.
Activist lawyer Subash Mohapatra claimed that the district officials and officials of the Punjab National Bank had deliberately not passed the insurance amount to farmers.
Mohapatra also alleged that bank officials misbehaved with the farmers when they went to collect the insurance amount. Even the police turned a deaf ear when the farmers went to lodge a complaint.
However, the Punjab National Bank, circle head, Sambalpur, inspection & audit department of Orissa, in a report to the commission September 18, 2014, said insurance was done for kharif crop and Rs 2,51,384 was paid to the Agriculture Insurance Co. of India Limited November 18, 2013, towards premium collected from 229 farmers.
The report said that the total insurance was Rs 1, 11,72,600 for which the premium was Rs 2,51,384 after deducting admissible subsidy and that so far the bank had not received any insurance claim amount from the insurance company. Therefore, crediting the same into the farmers’ account and misappropriation of insurance claim amount did not arise.
