MP farmer gets ₹4 compensation from govt after crop damage

More than 2,300 farmers in Sehore district in Madhya Pradesh received insignificant amounts of compensation under the PM Crop Insurance Scheme for damage to their kharif crop. Agriculture department sources said the number is an initial estimate.

On Tuesday, it was reported that more than 50 farmers from Tiladia and Jhagar villages in Sehore district got compensated for damage to their crops in single and double digits.

Farmer Badami Lal was shocked to see ₹4.70 in his savings account of the bank. The farmers claim that their crops have been damaged by 50%- 69% but they were given poor amounts in insurance.

Such cases were reported from Sagar in Bundelkhand region also.

Suresh Kumar Tiwari, a farmer of Jamunia Pandit village, has received ₹26.21 in his bank account. One Basant Ahirwar got ₹32.76.

Shahablal Mudgal, a farmer of Sandai village in Sagar who has four acre agriculture land and a loan of ₹1,68,399, received ₹176 only against insurance. Talking to HT, he said, “I feel cheated but I don’t know who to complain to. My crop of urad and soybean was destroyed due to insufficient rainfall but no survey was done by the government.”

Ghanshyam, a farmer of Tewra village of Sagar district, received ₹294 for damages to his crop. Similar were the complaints from Manohar Singh who got ₹615, Narendra who got ₹700, and Kallu who received ₹340. Manohar Singh had paid a premium of ₹1,800 and Narendra ₹2,000. Ghanshyam, however, paid ₹350 only as the premium.

Sub-divisional magistrate in Sagar, Arun Kumar Singh, said only the agriculture department or banks could explain the amounts.

Avneesh Chaturvedi, deputy director in the department of agriculture in Sehore, said, “We have checked the records. So far there are no irregularities. The amount of compensation was subject to the amount of damage to the crops.” SP Bhardwaj, an officer in the agriculture department, reiterated, saying that the survey was carried out according to norms.

I feel cheated but I don’t know who to complain to about this. My crop of urad and soybean was destroyed due to insufficient rainfall but no survey was done by the government. SHAHABLAL MUDGAL, upon receiving ₹176 in damages