90L farmers’ claims denied, says Uddhav Thackeray

Mumbai: Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray on Friday claimed that insurance companies have rejected claims of nearly 90 lakh farmers in the state and demanded action agai-nst these firms and government officials as well.

Mr Thackeray also stated that Rs 960 crore was disbursed to nearly 10 lakh farmers in the state in the wake of his party’s agitation over the alleged improper disbursal of insurance compensation to farmers in July this year. The Sena chief said his party would take to streets to if all farmers were not paid.

The Sena chief said that 1.44 crore farmers had applied for insurance for their Kharif crops under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana in 2018. Of these, 53 lakh farmers were declared eligible while 90 lakh were declared ineligible. The government, however, had paid Rs 2,000 crore as premium to insurance companies for the 90 lakh farmers later deemed ineligible.

Mr Thackeray said farmers must be given crop insurance compensation. “In case that does not happen, the government must take back the money paid to insurance companies and distribute it to the farmers through its own mechanism,” he said.