RABINARAYAN JENA, OP
Bhubaneswar: The state government has issued show-cause notices to six additional district magistrates (ADMs) for allegedly violating Centre-mandated procedures under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY), putting farmers’ insurance claims at risk. Despite repeated reminders, the officials have failed to ensure that crop-cutting experiment (CCE) estimates are uploaded to the designated portal, creating difficulties for farmers seeking insurance compensation. State Cooperation Department Secretary Rajesh Prabhakar Patil issued the notices Tuesday to the ADMs of Bhadrak, Sundaragada, Baleshwar, Dhenkanal, Anugola and Gajapati districts, expressing concern over their failure to comply with the prescribed procedures.
In the notices, Patil stated that collecting and uploading data through the CCE-Agri app is mandatory for settling crop insurance claims. For the 2025 kharif season, the Centre had refused to accept crop-cutting experiment (CCE) data submitted offline. However, following an undertaking from the state Cooperation Department, it allowed the data to be accepted as a one-time exception. The ADMs subsequently assured the department that all CCE data would be uploaded online from the next crop season.
However, during the 2025-26 rabi season, the six districts again submitted a substantial volume of CCE data offline, in violation of the commitment. The Centre has refused to allow the offline data to be uploaded to the National Crop Insurance Portal (NCIP), putting farmers in these districts at risk of losing crop insurance compensation. In contrast, districts such as Boudh, Deogada, Nuapada and Nayagada have recorded more than 100 per cent online data collection, while the six districts facing notices have performed poorly, according to the secretary’s letter.
The notices ask the ADMs to explain in writing within seven days why action should not be taken against them for the potential irreparable losses suffered by farmers. Patil warned that failure to respond within the stipulated period would invite further action. Farmers play a vital role in the state’s and the country’s development, and several welfare schemes, including crop insurance, are intended to protect their livelihoods. Repeated floods this year have severely affected agricultural communities in Baleshwar, Bhadrak and several other districts. Against this backdrop, the failure to comply with crop insurance data requirements has drawn criticism of the officials concerned.
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