Huge resentment among farmers over Crop Insurance

     Raipur, August 28, 2016: Farmers in many places of Chhattisgarh have started re-grouping over non-payment of crop insurance claim of the last Khariff season.

     A total of 14, 857 farmers, spread over 18 districts have not yet been paid compensation under the National Crop Insurance Scheme and farmers of Rajnandgaon district had even planned to stage a rasta roko today but changed that idea after area Lok Sabha BJP MP Abhishek Singh met them and promised to look into their matter on urgent basis, official sources said.

     MP Abhishek Singh directed the local administration to immediately suspend the Tehsildars and other revenue officials like Patwaries for the laxity in Bhanpuri and other villages, located close to the Rajnandgaon district headquarters after agitated farmers lodged their strong protest stating that they had not yet been paid any compensation of their crop loss due to the laxity of the Rajnandgaon district administration.

     On several occasions, the farmers said, they had informed the district administration about the matter, but nothing had happened so far.

     Since the villages are falling under Rajnandgaon district and the assembly constituency of Chief minister Dr Raman Singh and the Lok Sabha seat of his MP son Abhishek Singh, it created a sensation among the administration.

      Severe drought condition last year had damaged the Kharif crop 2015 because of which a total of 6,33,245 farmers were paid Rs 658.67 crore as compensation under National Crop Insurance Scheme.

     However, 14,857 farmers, spread over 18 districts have not yet been paid compensation, which was creating a strong resentment among the farmers and they had even staged demonstration in many parts of the state against the empathy of the government.

     Besides high profile Rajnandgaon and Kawardha, farmers from districts like Durg, Bemetara, Balod, Mahasamund, Gariaband, Bilaspur, Janjgir-Champa, Kanker, Dantewada, Sarguja Korea and Balrampur among others have been deprived of compensation under the National Crop Insurance Scheme.

     Agriculture Minister Brij Mohan Agrawal on August 25 met Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh at Delhi and personally urged him to look into the matter.

     After the meeting the Centre asked the state government to bear 50 per cent of the loss and the rest 50 per cent will be paid by the Centre as compensation for the farmers, they said adding steps are being taken to clear the dues to the farmers as soon as possible.