Rs 10.41 damages: Insurance shocker for Ranipet ryots
The insurance amount I received is not even half the premium of Rs 1,827 I paid,” said Malini, who lost her crops in 3.72 acres of farmland at Siruvalayam village.
Screenshot of Rs 998 compensation received by Malini Pandurangan
RANIPET: Forty-three-year-old Malini Pandurangan of Nemili taluk in Ranipet was in for a surprise when she received a message that Rs 998 had been credited to her bank account. The surprise soon gave way to shock when she found ‘Pradhan Mantri Fasal (Bima Yojana)’ as the source of money.
Malini was not the only one on this ‘shocker’ list. Some of the farmers in the district received as low as Rs 10.41 as insurance amount, leaving them to wonder whether it was for this meagre compensation that they joined the insurance scheme, paid the premium, took pain to apply for damages and waited all along.
“The insurance amount I received is not even half the premium of Rs 1,827 I paid,” said Malini, who lost her crops in 3.72 acres of farmland at Siruvalayam village in the district to continuous rains.
No wonder, many like Malini have now petitioned Tamilaga Vivasyigal Sangam to take up the need for a State government-owned insurance company.
Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) is a government-sponsored crop insurance scheme that integrates multiple stakeholders on a single platform. According to the figures available, for 2022-23 of the total premium amount of Rs 2,319 crore, the state government’s share was Rs 1,375 crore, while the central government provided Rs 824 crore as its share and farmers contributed another Rs 120 crore.
However, compensation to TN farmers provided by insurance companies was only Rs 560 crore resulting in their making a profit of Rs 1,759 crore.
While 8,710 farmers in Tiruvallur district received Rs 7.57 crore as damages, 14,080 Kancheepuram farmers received Rs 3.18 crore. The worst was reserved for Ranipet district, where 8,832 farmers were allocated a paltry Rs 65.53 lakh in compensation, sources revealed.
“What has angered Ranipet farmers is that many received amounts as low as Rs 10.41 based on yields,” said Sangam state president T Venugopal. “The central government’s aim seems to help insurance companies profit, which goes against PM Modi’s promise of doubling farmers’ income,” he added.
“The poor payment has resulted in farmers becoming reluctant to join the
central insurance scheme,” added Sangam vice-president S Udaykumar. Most farmers received compensation in two and three-digit figures and in many cases, it was less than even the premium they paid, he added.
“Many farmers who paid insurance premiums at Sayanavaram – one of the large villages under Nemili PU – did not receive any compensation,” said Sangam youth wing state president R Subash.
“Many feel insurance firms have taken them for a ride with namesake payments without any understanding of farmers’ plight,” he added.
