Special drive in UP to provide crop insurance to farmers

by IANS |

Lucknow, June 29 (IANS) The Uttar Pradesh government will be launching a special drive to provide insurance coverage to farmers against potential crop damage.

The drive, slated to begin from the first week of July by the agriculture department, will be flagged off by Agriculture Minister Surya Pratap Shahi.

It will cover those development blocks which have lower farm insurance coverage under the Centre's ambitious PM Crop Insurance Scheme (PMCIS).

According to UP government sources, till date, compensation of Rs 3,074.6 crore has been deposited in the accounts of 27.5 lakh farmers in UP under PMCIS.

This includes payment of crop compensation of Rs 654.8 crore to over 7 lakh farmers in Kharif season 2021. In Rabi 2021-22, an area of 14.2 lakh hectares has been insured by 19.9 lakh farmers.

According to a directive issued by additional chief secretary, agriculture, Devesh Chaturvedi, the drive would cover selected development blocks in the eight aspirational districts - Bahraich (Risia block), Shravasti (Sirsia), Balrampur (Utraula), Siddharth Nagar (Latan), Fatehpur (Bijaipur), Chitrakoot (Ramnagar) and Chandauli (Niyamtabad).

The value of damage incurred to crops in UP more than doubled between 2018-19 and 2019-20, as per Union agriculture ministry data.

Prepared on the basis of state-wise business statistics as on August 31 last year, the data shows that the reported crop loss claims shot up from around Rs 470 crore in 2018-19 to over Rs 1,116 crore in 2019-20.

As against the claimed loss, the paid claims amounted to Rs 1,092 crore in 2019-20 as against around Rs 40 crore in 2018-19. The number of farmers who benefitted from the PMCIS rose from 6 lakh in 2018-19 to over 9 lakhs in 2019-20, the data shows.

Sources said farmers' participation in the crop insurance scheme needs special focus in pockets dominated by Dalits and Tribals.

For this, the state government plans to rope in not only district administration but also banks and Jan Suvidha Kendras.

The department also plans to disseminate information and success stories of farmers on social media.

Latest News
Sensex crosses 74K mark in 1000 points rally Thu, Mar 28, 2024, 03:42 PM
Man stabbed to death during fight over drinking water Thu, Mar 28, 2024, 03:41 PM
Actor Mukesh, BJP candidate Ashwini file nominations in Kerala Thu, Mar 28, 2024, 03:22 PM
Gillespie resigns from his role as South Australia, Adelaide strikers' head coach Thu, Mar 28, 2024, 03:15 PM
'No scope for individuality in party', Karnataka DyCM Shivakumar warns warring leaders Thu, Mar 28, 2024, 03:10 PM
Ukrainian FM arrives in India to build on talks between PM Modi, Volodymyr Zelenskyy Thu, Mar 28, 2024, 03:02 PM
Political conspiracy, claims Kejriwal while being taken to Rouse Avenue Court Thu, Mar 28, 2024, 02:47 PM
NXP Semiconductors unveils industry-first platform for software-defined vehicles Thu, Mar 28, 2024, 02:41 PM
CM Vijayan & CPI(M) tread cautiously after ED case against Veena Vijayan Thu, Mar 28, 2024, 02:37 PM
IPL 2024: 'They opened for Australia...', says Ganguly on DC's opting for Warner, Marsh as opening pair vs PBKS Thu, Mar 28, 2024, 02:28 PM
India's trade policy is calibrated with economic growth path: Piyush Goyal Thu, Mar 28, 2024, 02:17 PM
Holi brings cheer to UP excise dept as sales soar Thu, Mar 28, 2024, 02:11 PM
Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann blessed with baby girl Thu, Mar 28, 2024, 02:10 PM
New AI tool can predict fatal heart rhythm with 80 pc accuracy Thu, Mar 28, 2024, 12:41 PM
IPL 2024: 'Perplexed, beyond my understanding', Smith, Pathan slam Hardik's tactics of using Bumrah vs SRH Thu, Mar 28, 2024, 12:27 PM