Crop losses: Man gets Rs 4.70 as insurance in Madhya Pradesh

Bhopal: A farmer in a Madhya Pradesh village received the shock of his life when he got a cheque of Rs 4.70 as insurance money for his soybean crop loss.

Badami Lal, a resident of Rehti tehsil in Sehore distirct, received the pittance under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (Prime Minister’s Crop Insurance Scheme) to compensate loss of his soybean crop due to hailstorm recently.

“We were shocked to see the amount in the cheque. We had suffered extensive damages to our crop due to natural calamity. We failed to comprehend on what basis the insurance amount (Rs 4.70) was calculated,” his kin told reporters on Tuesday.

Other farmers who have been provided insurance claims for their soybean crop loss may be more fortunate than him for getting higher amounts, but they were also too low to cheer them.

Uttam Singh, a farmer hailing from Tilaria village in the district, has received insurance claim of Rs 17 for his soybean crop loss.

He had paid a premium of Rs 1,342 to cover his crop undertaken in his 2-acre land under the scheme.

A woman farmer in the village has also received a jolt when she got insurance claim of Rs 194 for the loss of soybean crop she had undertaken in her 22-hectare land.

She had paid a premium of Rs 5,220.

Under the scheme, the premium amounts have been shared by the farmers, state government and Centre to cover their crop under insurance.

“The insurance amount is calculated keeping in view three aspects, size of land under cultivation, crops cultivated and extent of crop loss. So, we should not take into account the amount paid under the scheme. If there is any flaw in fixing insurance amount, that can be corrected,” state cooperation minister Viswas Sarang told reporters here on Tuesday.