Parsanjeet KourAIR 11 · CSE 2022 · 181 wordsTheir whole copy
Opening
With about 45% population dependent on agriculture, farmers are the largest target groups for support of government.
Earlier crop insurance was provided by schemes like National Agriculture Insurance Scheme but they had concerns of limited reach and were replaced by Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY).
It is the largest insurance scheme globally with 20 million farmers registered.
Body · points and prose
-> It gives security to crop failure -> Its premium rates include 1.5% for rabi, 2% for kharif and 5% for zaid. -> It is implemented parallel to 'Restructured Weather Based Crop Insurance scheme'.
But various concerns are associated with it:
-> Duty of identification of farmers is with States - some like West Bengal, Punjab hesitant in it.
-> Farmers are bound to pay some registration fee
-> Coverage not universal and out of 120 million, only 20 million are covered
-> Delays in release of cash for the farmers disposal.
-> Bureaucratic hassles, orientation to wealthy farmers etc are other concerns.
Close · a way forward
Schemes like Mukhya Mantri Kisan Sahaya Yojana of Gujarat and likewise with universal, open registration are key to address concerns.
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