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Indian Express
6 days ago
- Business
- Indian Express
Why Maharashtra farmers have grown cold to Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana
Maharashtra has seen a drastic dip in the enrolment for the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, which allows farmers to insure their crops against losses due to natural calamities. Enrolment has plummeted from last year's 76.31 lakh to 31,39.15 lakh, as of July 31, with farmers saying the scheme has become 'non-viable' owing to the rollback of the Rs 1 premium by the state government and stringent compensation rules. Why have many farmers decided not to insure their crops? This is the first year that Yuvraj Patil, who grows soyabeans over 16 acres in Shelgaon village in Nanded district's Ardhapur taluka, has decided not to insure his crops. His reason: the Rs 1,100/hectare premium is not viable given the stringent compensation norms. 'The scheme has not taken local natural calamities into consideration. The manner in which compensation is to be calculated is also faulty,' he said. The guidelines of the Fasal Bima Yojana talk about increased usage of technology and crop-cutting experiments. The first one, Patil said, was a red flag: 'Satellite images would be used to calculate losses'. 'But what is the guarantee that it would be able to get the correct picture? If it rains at night and the satellite picture is of the morning, then the losses will not be captured,' he said. What is crop insurance and how did it help farmers? Implemented across the country, the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana has the premium divided among the state government, central government, and farmers. The first two take up the lion's share of the premium to be paid, while the farmers' share is kept minimal so as to make the scheme affordable for them. As the vast majority of farmers in Maharashtra practise rain-fed agriculture, the scheme was a hit with them, given the cushion it provided in case of crop loss. The farmers now pay just 2 per cent of the premium, while the rest is taken care of by the central and state governments. In 2023, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced that farmers would be able to opt for the insurance at Rs 1. This continued for the fiscal of 2023-24 and also the fiscal of 2024-25, leading to record enrollment by farmers. Thus, 78.82 lakh farmers insured their crop during the 2023 kharif season, 73.19 lakh farmers opted for the scheme in the 2024 kharif season, as per the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana's web portal. Many say the current dip in the enrolment is a result of the rollback of the Rs 1 premium. The state government has extended the scheme's deadline to August 14 after the initial deadline of July 31 lapsed. Why was the premium rolled back? On April 30, 2025, Fadnavis, now the chief minister, rolled back the Rs 1 premium that he had introduced as the deputy chief minister, and financial irregularities and bogus claims were supposed to be the reason. Officials said that scrutiny of the scheme had shown over five lakh bogus claims. Government land, barren land, and other types of land were found to have been insured under the scheme, with compensation being pocketed by middlemen. The rollback is estimated to help the Government save over Rs 5,000 crore. What do farm leaders and farmers have to say? Farmers like Patil know that by not insuring their crops, they are taking a major risk. But they are willing to take the risk. 'The cover provided might be good, but the manner in which the regulations are drawn is not conducive for us. Why should we invest in a scheme which is of no use to us,' he said. Before the state government introduced the Rs 1 premium, the scheme had witnessed a constant dip in enrolment, and political leaders across party lines had called for a rethink on the scheme. Anil Ghanwat, the leader of Shetkari Sanghatana, a farmer union founded by the late Sharad Joshi, said the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana has lost its utility for farmers. 'The scheme is not stacked heavily in favour of insurance companies. Hence the rollback,' he said.
Hindustan Times
09-06-2025
- Hindustan Times
37-year-old man dies in car-truck collision in Wagholi
A 37-year-old man lost his life after his car collided with a truck in the Wagholi area on Saturday. The incident took place at around 4 am at Gade Wasti Chowk when the car, driven by the victim, crashed into a truck that allegedly took a sudden turn without warning. The deceased has been identified as Yuvraj Patil, a resident of Dudulgaon Alandi. Preliminary investigation suggests that the truck driver made an abrupt turn, leaving the car driver with no time to react. The resulting impact was severe, causing fatal injuries to the car driver, who was pronounced dead on the spot. After the accident, the truck driver escaped from the spot. Police officials have registered a case against the unknown truck driver. 'We have taken note of the complaint and initial findings point to negligence on the part of the truck driver. Appropriate legal action will be taken after reviewing CCTV footage and eyewitness statements,' said a police officer. Based on the complaint filed by the brother of the deceased Aniruddha Patil, an FIR has been filed against the unknown truck driver under sections 281,106(1) of the BNS and sections 184,132(1),134 of the MVA.
Indian Express
29-05-2025
- Climate
- Indian Express
To sow or not: The question Maharashtra's soyabean farmers face amid early monsoon onset
Over the past few days, farmers at Takli in Maharashtra's Latur district are confused about whether or not to start sowing soyabean, the largest-grown cash crop of the state. Vilas Uphade, a resident who is also the director of Vikas Farmers Producers Company (FPC), says soil moisture has increased after the heavy rain, prompting many to start sowing soyabean. 'The biggest uncertainty is whether this rain would continue-if there is a gap during the vegetative growth phase, all our efforts will go in vain,' he said. The early onset of the monsoon has thus put soyabean growers in a fix. The heavy rain in a short period of time has led to increased soil moisture, making fields conducive for sowing. Some farmers like Yuvraj Patil from Nanded district have not been able to complete their land preparation. 'Some had finished tilling but the raising of beds and row formation are yet to be done. At some places farmers have to add manure,' he said. But those who have finished these operations, Patil said, want to go for sowing. Since March 1, both Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh–two major soyabean-producing states–have received 150.2 mm and 37.7 mm of rainfall, respectively. As per the India Meteorological Department (IMD), normally these states receive 22.4 mm and 16.5 mm of rainfall, respectively, in the same period. The confusion among farmers can be easily explained through the rainfall figures for Marathwada and Vidarbha–the two major soyabean-producing regions of the state. Marathwada reported 97.5 mm of rainfall (against a normal of 22.2 mm) and Vidharbha even higher, 133.4 mm (against 22.4mm). Indra Mani, vice-chancellor of the Parbhani-headquartered Vasantrao Naik Krishi Vidyapeth, the state agriculture university, explained that most of the rain the regions had received was pre-monsoon showers. 'As this rainfall is considered pre-monsoon, farmers are advised not to rush for soyabean sowing. Instead, they should utilise the available moisture for preparatory field operations such as ploughing and soil preparation,' he said. An advisory issued by K S Baig, director of research at the Soyabean Research Centre, and agrometeorologists S M Umate and K K Dakhore cautioned farmers against early sowing. 'It is recommended that they undertake sowing after the official onset of the monsoon and after receiving at least 75 to 100 mm of rainfall, ideally after June 10-15,' said the advisory. On average, Maharashtra reports 40 lakh hectares of soyabean sowing every kharif season. Partha Sarathi Biwas is an Assistant Editor with The Indian Express with 10+ years of experience in reporting on Agriculture, Commodities and Developmental issues. He has been with The Indian Express since 2011 and earlier worked with DNA. Partha's report about Farmers Producer Companies (FPC) as well long pieces on various agricultural issues have been cited by various academic publications including those published by the Government of India. He is often invited as a visiting faculty to various schools of journalism to talk about development journalism and rural reporting. In his spare time Partha trains for marathons and has participated in multiple marathons and half marathons. ... Read More
