Bhubaneswar: Ahead of the December 5 by-election in drought-prone Padmapur Assembly constituency in Bargarh district, a slugfest has erupted between the ruling BJD and the opposition BJP over the delay in payment of crop insurance money to farmers. They have not received crop insurance dues even after four months of the harvest of Kharif crops, a legislator of the ruling party claimed.
However, BJP state general secretary Priothivraj Harichandan blamed the Odisha government for the distress of the cultivators. Harichandan said they were being inconvenienced as the state government did not meet the requisite formalities for timely payment of crop insurance claims.
“The delay in the payment of crop insurance claims will impact livelihood of farmers across Odisha, particularly in Bargarh district,” BJD MLA Debesh Acharya said. The BJD MLA from Bargarh pointed out that though Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had taken up the issue with the Centre several times in the past, it yielded no result.
Lakhs of farmers from western Odisha districts are suffering due to delays in the settlement of their crop insurance claims, Acharya claimed.
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Since the insurance is named Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY), is it not the Centre’s responsibility to ensure that the affected farmers get their claim at the proper time, Acharya asked.
The PMFBY, launched in 2016, aims to provide financial aid to farmer in case of crop loss or damage. The risks covered in the scheme include damage to the standing crop due to non-preventable risks like drought and flood, along with post-harvest losses.
Odisha’s Cooperation Minister Atanu S Nayak recently met Union Agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar in New Delhi. Nayak drew the latter’s attention to the miseries of farmers who were unable to go for the next crop due to non-payment of the insurance amount.
The minister alleged that instead of coming to the rescue of farmers, the opposition BJP is trying to blame it on the state’s BJD government,
Meanwhile, several organisations of farmers have launched agitation in many places of western districts of Odisha demanding early payment of crop insurance claims.