While a large number of farmers suffered crop loss during the recent hailstorm in Hisar and Bhiwani districts, the authorities are planning to carry out a survey of the damaged crops, which are insured under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY). Sources said the state government had so far not given any direction to carry out ‘’girdawari’’ to assess the losses incurred by farmers who had not got their crops insured under the scheme. Significantly, only 25-30 per cent of rabi crops in the region are covered under the PMFBY. Sources in the Agriculture Department said as per preliminary reports, around 2,500 acres under mustard had been damaged in the Barwala block of this district only. It is estimated that mustard and wheat crops on 4,000-4,500 acres in 15 villages of Hisar were damaged due to the recent rain and hailstorm. In Bhiwani district, crops on around 6,000 acres in 19 villages have been hit. Ramesh Kumar, a farmer of Dhansu village who suffered loss of mustard and wheat crops on 5 acre each, said he had taken loan using the Kisan Credit Card only for crop on 1.75 acres, which was insured under the PMFBY. “The rest of the crop is not insured. I own only five acres while I took remaining five acres on rent,” he said, adding that mustard crop was in the flowering stage and he had already incurred the entire input cost; the expenses on the wheat crop too had already been incurred, barring two phases of watering. Sher Singh, Akhil Bharatiya Kisan Sabha state president, said, “The PMFBY is of no use to the farmer. We have been demanding to scrap it altogether. Take the recent example of hail-hit crops. Hardly any farmer would get compensation.” He added that they had demanded immediate special girdawari of the affected crop. “When our delegation met Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar in September last year, he had promised us to consider even non-insured crops for compensation in case of crop loss due to natural calamities. But there has been no instruction to assess the losses due to recent hailstorm. This indicates that the government has no intention to compensate the affected farmers,” he alleged. Source - http://www.tribuneindia.com