In a major relief to cotton growers of Bhiwani and Charkhi Dadri, the Haryana State Grievances Redressal Committee (SGRC) has directed Kshema General Insurance Company to settle crop insurance claims worth nearly Rs 255 crore on the basis of actual average yields recorded through Crop Cutting Experiments (CCEs).

The decision comes after more than a year of sustained efforts by farmers and their organisations, who had challenged the use of technology-based yield estimates for assessing losses during the kharif 2023 season.

According to the SGRC, a large number of farmers were deprived of their “rightful insurance claim” after CCE-based yield data was replaced with technology-based estimates. The decision was taken during the committee’s 15th meeting held on May 11 under the chairmanship of Additional Chief Secretary, Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Department, Vijayendra Kumar.

The matter reached the committee through representations submitted by farmer organisations, including the Akhil Bhartiya Kisan Sabha Haryana, seeking a review of a decision taken by the State Technical Advisory Committee (STAC) in August 2024.

Farmer representative Dr Ram Kanwar said the farmers had approached former Agriculture Minister JP Dalal, who intervened and persuaded the government to constitute the SGRC. “After Dalal’s intervention, the state government finally constituted SGRC which had taken the decision now,” he said.

Under the revised settlement, farmers in Bhiwani are expected to receive around Rs 213 crore, while those in Charkhi Dadri will get about Rs 42 crore.

The dispute involved 158 insurance units in Bhiwani and 135 in Charkhi Dadri.

Source - https://newswav.com