"Thus, we have decided not to accept the tender for this year and launch this scheme. Neither the state nor farmers will have to pay any premium this year. Unlike PMFBY, which protects only those farmers who pay premium, our scheme will cover all the farmers, that too with zero premium," the chief minister said. He said farmers who have sown crops in this kharif (monsoon) season will get benefit under this scheme. The compensation will be given only if the loss of crop is more than 33 percent either due to drought, or excess rain, or due to unseasonal rainfall, Rupani said. A farmer is eligible to get compensation for maximum four hectares of land, he said. For crop loss between 33 and 66 percent, a farmer will get a compensation of Rs 20,000 per hectare for maximum four hectares. For crop loss above 60 percent, a farmer will get Rs 25,000 per hectare for maximum four hectares. Rupani clarified that apart from the compensation paid under this scheme, farmers are also eligible to get additional compensation under the State Disaster Response Fund in case of crop loss due to natural calamities. "This new scheme will benefit all the 56 lakh farmers of the state. It is also simpler than PMFBY. We will be launching a dedicated portal so that farmers can apply online. Tribal farmers registered under the Forest Rights Act are also eligible for this scheme," the chief minister said. Since the state government had already kept aside Rs 1,800 crore to pay the crop insurance premium, the same fund will now be utilised for this scheme, he said. Source - https://www.moneycontrol.com