(a) the main objective of Pradhan Mantri Crop Insurance Scheme;
(b) whether this scheme is voluntary for farmers who receive loan or is it mandatory for them and if so, the details thereof;
(c) whether this scheme covers the loss happened due to disasters as well; and
(d) if so, the number of farmers of Gujarat, especially Amreli, Banaskantha who have been benefitted so far from this scheme?
MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
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(a) to (d) : Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) aims at supporting sustainable income in crop production, especially in adverse climatic conditions by way of :
• Providing financial support to farmers suffering crop loss/damage arising out of unforeseen events.
• Stabilizing the income of farmers to ensure their continuance in farming.
• Encouraging farmers to adopt innovative and modern agricultural practices.
• Ensuring credit worthiness of the farmers, crop diversification and enhancing growth and competitiveness of agriculture sector besides protecting the farmers from production risks.
Earlier the scheme was mandatory for farmers availing crop loans/Kisan Credit Card loans for the notified crops and notified areas and optional for others. However, the Scheme has now been made optional for all farmers w.e.f. Kharif 2020 season.
Details of number of farmer applications enrolled who got the benefit of premium subsidy under the scheme in Amreli and Banaskantha districts under PMFBY are as under :
Year No. of Farmer Applications Enrolled
Amreli District Banaskantha District
2016-17 2,40,234 1,06,183
2017-18 1,57,882 1,57,921
2018-19 24,260 50,562
2019-20 21,605 52,553
Gujarat State Government is not implementing the scheme since Kharif 2020 season as the scheme is optional for the States/UTs.
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