(a) whether several State Governments including Orissa have given suggestions for further improving the National Agriculture Insurance Scheme (NAIS);
(b) if so, the details thereof and the follow-up action taken thereon;
(c) whether the Government proposes to include some more crops under the National Agriculture Insurance Scheme; and
(d) if so, the details thereof?
MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY
OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION (PROF. K.V. THOMAS)
(a) & (b): Yes Madam. During the course of implementation of the scheme implementing
States/UTs including Orissa State have given various suggestions, from time to time, about
unit area of insurance, indemnity level, calculation of guaranteed yield, early settlement
of claims, coverage of horticultural crops etc. for making the scheme more acceptable to
farmers.
Keeping in view the suggestions of States/UTs, a Joint Group was constituted by the
Government, to study the improvements required in the existing crop insurance schemes. The
Group has reviewed the National Agricultural Insurance Scheme (NAIS) and made important
recommendations which inter-alia includes reduction in the unit area of insurance for major
crops; improved method of calculation of threshold yield; higher indemnity level; coverage
of additional risks etc. Based on these recommendations a proposal on Modified NAIS has
been prepared.
(c) & (d): National Agricultural Insurance Scheme (NAIS), at present, covers all food
crops (cereals, millets, pulses), oilseeds and annual commercial/horticultural crops. As
per provision of the scheme, State Governments are free to notify any number of crops from
the above broad categories of crops subject to the availability of past yield data for
adequate number of years and capacity of the State to conduct requisite number of Crop
Cutting Experiments (CCEs) for making assessment of yield.