Farmers in Mayiladuthurai and Nagapattinam have raised concerns about delays and lack of transparency in the distribution of compensation under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) during recent grievance meetings and protests.
They claimed that the insurance process lacked fairness, which prompted responses from the two district administrations, leading to the release of information on compensation provided under the scheme.
Mayiladuthurai District Collector A.P. Mahabharathi addressed these concerns by issuing a press note outlining the compensation distribution for the 2023 samba season.
According to the administration, ₹21.59 crore had been credited to the bank accounts of 69,807 farmers who insured 68,489 hectares of paddy, black gram, and green gram. The first phase saw ₹5.98 crores disbursed to 16 villages covering 4,950.87 hectares while the second and final phases provided ₹6.41 crores for black gram (14,201 hectares), ₹4.36 crores for green gram (12,702 hectares), and ₹4.83 crores for Samba paddy (3,907 hectares).
However, Arupathy P. Kalyanam, general secretary of the Federation of Farmers’ Associations in the Cauvery Delta Districts, challenged the district’s data. “The information provided is incomplete. For the past five years, many villages, including mine, have not received any insurance pay out. We need comprehensive data showing which villages received claims, how many got none, and the percentage of the claim paid,” Mr. Kalyanam said.
Similar frustrations were echoed in Nagapattinam where the Tamil Nadu Vivasayigal Sangam staged a protest at Kilvelur on Tuesday, led by MLA Nagai Mali. “Of the 193 panchayats, only 34 received any form of compensation, and many farmers were left out. It feels like our premium payments are absorbed by corporate insurance companies. We urge the State government to eliminate private companies and handle crop insurance entirely,” Mr. Mali told The Hindu.
Nagapattinam District Collector P. Akash, in his press statement, reported that for the 2023-24 season, ₹9.71 crore had been credited to the accounts of 27,675 farmers who had insured their samba/thaladi crops, ₹3.59 crore had been paid to 4,567 groundnut farmers, and ₹2.68 crore to 8,461 green gram farmers through the relevant insurance companies. The statement included data from 2022-23 and 2021-22 seasons.
For the 2024-25 season, since sowing could not be carried out during the Kuruvai season, Nagapattinam district had taken unprecedented measures under the PMFBY. Compensation for ‘inability to sow’ and ‘sowing failure’ will be provided through the KSHEMA insurance company. A total of ₹9,125 per acre will be granted to 6,280 farmers across 144 villages, covering 75% of the affected areas.
Source - The Hindu
