To increase farmers’ enrolment in the PMFBY, the Karnataka government started deducting compulsory insurance premiums for almost all crop loans disbursed
Bengaluru: The Karnataka government’s initiatives to enrol more farmers under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bhima Yojana (PMFBY)—to ensure continued Central assistance to help mitigate the economic impact of deficient rainfalls and resulting crop damage—seems to have paid off as the number of enrolments in the state during the Kharif season has increased from 8.72 lakh in 2015 to 9.44 lakh farmers this year.
Reeling under its second consecutive drought and sixth year of deficient rainfall, Karnataka has declared drought in 139 of the 177 talukas, or administrative units this year.
To increase farmer enrolment in the PMFBY, the state government had started deducting compulsory insurance premiums for almost all crop loans disbursed and has also increased the number of crops during the Kharif season from 25 in 2015 to 40 in 2016.
Karnataka’s growth rate in farmer insurance scheme have been higher compared to other states even though the numbers at the national level fall way short of the ambitious target to cover half of all farmers in the country.
According to the agriculture ministry, during this kharif season, beginning June, 32.6 million farmers enrolled under PMFBY, Mint reported on Tuesday.
Please click here to read more.