Question : Crop Insurance Scheme

(a) whether the National Agriculture Insurance Scheme has not proven successful in various States including Bihar;

(b) if so, the details thereof along with the reasons therefor;

(c) the target sets for the said scheme during the Eleventh and Twelfth Five Year Plan period;

(d) the total number of farmers benefited in various States including Bihar under the National Agriculture Insurance Scheme during the last three years and current year, year-wise and the amount disbursed under National Agriculture Insurance Scheme during the last three years and current year, State-wise;

(e) whether the Government is considering to revise the pattern of crop insurance scheme from Block to individual level insurance, if so, the details thereof; and

(f) the steps taken by the Government to make the crop insurance more fruitful?

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE

‡ãðŠãäÓã ½ãâ¨ããÊã¾ã ½ãñâ À㕾㠽ãâ¨ããè ( SHRI MOHANBHAI KUNDARIA )


(a) & (b) : No, Madam. National Agricultural Insurance Scheme (NAIS) was introduced in Rabi 1999-2000 and remained successful in the areas wherever it has been implemented by the State Governments concerned. Since inception of the scheme, about 2403 lakh farmers over an area of 3573 lakh insuring a sum amounting

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to Rs. 386396 crore have been covered under the scheme. Claims amounting to Rs. 36836 crore against the premium of Rs. 11571 crore have been paid to 644 lakh farmers during this period.

(c) : The scheme is demand driven and no specific targets have been fixed. However, it is proposed to increase the coverage upto 50% of the total number of farmers in the country under Crop Insurance Schemes.

(d) : State-wise details (including Bihar) of farmers benefitted and claims paid during last three years are annexed.

(e) : No, Madam. However, unit area of insurance under Modified National Agricultural Insurance Scheme, a component of National Crop Insurance Programme (NCIP), has been reduced to village/village panchayat level.

(f) : Improvement in crop insurance schemes to make these more scientific/fruitful in order to better serve the interests of the farmers, is a continuous process and steps are taken by the Government from time to time. Recently, schemes have been revised and new scheme under the name of NCIP has been introduced with some improvements to make it more farmers friendly.