The government has successfully entered into the 7th year of implementing Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY), since its launch on 18th February 2016 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Sehore, Madhya Pradesh (MP).PMFBY will launch ‘Meri Policy Mere Hath’ drive.
Launch of ‘Meri Policy Mere Hath’
- The PMFBY scheme will be launching a doorstep distribution drive,‘Meri Policy Mere Hath’ to deliver crop insurance policies to the farmers in all implementing States in the upcoming Kharif season.
- The doorstep distribution drive aims to ensure all farmers are well aware and equipped with all information on their policies, land records, the process of claim and grievance redressal under PMFBY.
About PMFBY:
i.PMFBY is a flagship scheme of the Government of India that aims to provide financial support to farmers suffering from crop loss or damage arising out of natural calamities.
- As on 4th February, 2022, Around 36 crore farmers have been insured under PMFBY, with over INR 1,07,059 crores of claims have already been paid under the scheme.
ii.The PMFBY was revamped in 2020 enabling voluntary participation of the farmers and also included convenience in reporting crop loss within 72 hours of the occurrence by farmers through Crop Insurance App, Common service Centre (CSC) or the nearest agriculture officer.
- The claim benefits will be transferred electronically into the bank accounts of the eligible farmer.
iii.The scheme also enables farmers to submit their grievances at the grassroots level through its State or District Level Grievance Committee.
- The grievances shall be resolved through Information, Education and Communication (IEC) activities such as Crop Insurance Week which is celebrated twice bi-yearly, PMFBY Paathshaala, social media campaigns, a toll-free helpline and email communication.
Implementing Agency:
The Scheme shall be implemented through a multi-agency framework by selected insurance companies under the overall guidance & control of the Department of Agriculture, Cooperation & Farmers Welfare (DAC&FW), Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare (MoA&FW) and the concerned State in coordination with various other agencies; viz Financial Institutions and Government Departments.
Features of PMFBY:
Some of the key features of the scheme includes, Integration of land records with the PMFBY’s National Crop Insurance Portal (NCIP), Crop Insurance mobile app, remittance of premium through NCIP, a subsidy release module and a claim release module through NCIP.
Financial assistance:
The scheme will provide financial assistance to around 85 % of the most vulnerable farmers, who are small and marginal farmers, enrolled with PMFBY.
Note – The use of drones for crop insurance was announced in the 2022-23 budget which will further strengthen the integration of technology.PMFBY completed its 6 years of implementation.
Recent related news:
Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare (MoA&FW) has amended the guidelines of Sub-Mission on Agricultural Mechanisation (SMAM) to provide a 100 percent grant (up to Rs 10 lakh) to Agricultural Institutes for the purchase of drones for Farming and its allied activities until 31st March 2023.
About Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare (MoA&FW):
Union Minister – Narendra Singh Tomar (Morena, Madhya Pradesh)
Minister of state – Sushri Shobha Karandlaje (Udupi Chikmagalur, Karnataka) ;Kailash Choudhary (Barmer, Rajasthan)
